Cities and Businesses Are Making Significant Progress on Recycling, Composting, and Reuse

Eco-Cycle and CoPIRG Foundation announce the release of our 9th annual State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado report. This year’s findings show that across the state, communities, and leaders are embracing creative solutions that tackle multiple parts of the linear “take, make, waste” system and replacing them with more circular strategies.

Highlights include: 

  • Expanded local innovation funded by the State’s $18 million grant program, which provides free technical assistance to municipalities to facilitate improvements. 
  • New policies, programs, and infrastructure championed by municipalities with the goal of increasing their recycling and composting rates. 
  • Major investments from communities and businesses in forward-thinking recycling infrastructure in the state. 
  • Developing systems for reuse in dining and construction that reduce waste and keep valuable products in circulation.
  • Colorado’s Producer Responsibility for packaging and paper law is on track to begin rollout of free recycling for all Coloradans starting in 2026.

Read this year’s report to learn more about these highlights—and to meet some of the local champions who are driving Colorado’s transformation into a more circular, Zero Waste state!

Colorado Recycles Week Elevates the State of Recycling and Composting Report

Colorado Recycles Week was established by Governor Polis in 2020 to recognize the contributions of recycling and composting to our economy and communities. The proclamation was made in conjunction with our State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado report, which is released every year during Colorado Recycles Week. It occurs the third week of November in perpetuity.

State of Recycling Report Archive

The State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado, 2024

In 2024, the report finds that while Colorado’s population is steadily growing, the amount of waste we are generating has slightly declined since 2018. Unfortunately, the rate at which we divert materials away from landfills through recycling and composting has stayed stubbornly low. The good news is that we have been laying the groundwork at the state and local levels to provide recycling access to all Coloradans and to further build out composting programs throughout the state.

The State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado, 2023

In 2023, we expanded the report to examine the “three Rs”—reduce, reuse, and recycling/composting—proven climate change solutions that can save money for local governments, businesses, and schools. While reporting that Colorado’s recycling rate remains far below the national average, we highlight examples of nation-leading state policies, local actions, and entrepreneurial business models that could help build a statewide circular economy and vault Colorado to the top of the recycling world in the next five years.

The State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado, 2022

The year 2022 will be remembered as the year Colorado took bold steps toward becoming a national leader in recycling thanks to the passage of HB22-1355: Producer Responsibility for Recycling Packaging and Paper. Colorado also saw major advancements in data collection and planning on the state level, and a number of local programs made improvements to recycling and composting programs.

The State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado, 2021

In 2020, Colorado’s statewide recycling and composting rate was just 15%, which is less than half the national recycling and composting rate of 32%. While the state as a whole is failing to make significant progress to increase recycling and composting, some leading Colorado communities are recovering more than 50% of their discarded materials, demonstrating that recycling and composting can be successful solutions for Colorado to reduce climate emissions, create green jobs, and conserve natural resources


The State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado, 2020

Colorado wasted more and recycled less in 2019 than in 2018, continuing to fall short of our state recycling goals and lag behind the rest of the nation. Yet, despite the downward trend, dozens of Colorado communities continue to demonstrate how recycling and composting can be successful in Colorado. Read more to find out which Colorado cities are leading the way and the local-level and state-level actions we can take to accelerate our recycling and composting programs to build a circular economy and reduce climate pollution.


The State of Recycling in Colorado, 2019

Colorado’s 2018 progress on recycling was mixed: Our recycling rate continues to slowly inch upward, yet our state also produced a record amount of waste. The report highlighted 30 cities as Gold and Silver Medal winners for leading the state and providing curbside recycling programs for all their residents. Key recommendations for moving Colorado forward were to attract more recycling businesses to Colorado and to add curbside recycling for all residents in all Front Range cities.


The State of Recycling in Colorado, 2018

Our beautiful state continues to be one of the most wasteful in the country. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This report is divided into two parts to focus on both state and local actions to transform Colorado’s wasteful habits.


The State of Recycling in Colorado, 2017

Eco-Cycle and CoPIRG launched the first-ever statewide survey of recycling rates to compare Front Range cities and mountain/rural areas. See how your city compares and our five recommendations on how to move recycling forward in Colorado faster.

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