How do Colorado cities compare when it comes to recycling?

Since 2017, Eco-Cycle, in partnership with CoPIRG (Colorado Public Interest Research Group), issues an annual statewide survey of recycling rates to compare Front Range cities and mountain/rural areas. See how your city compares, and hear our recommendations for how to move Colorado forward faster on recycling.

The year 2022 will be remembered as the year Colorado took bold steps toward becoming a national leader in recycling—not yet as measured by our recycling rate which is still 16% (half the national average), but rather as a leader in recycling policy 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.

 

State of Recycling Report Archive

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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