Loading
  • GET INVOLVED
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • Play our recycling sorting game!
  • ABOUT US

    • Our Mission
      • Our Mission, Vision & Theory of Change
      • Our History
      • Alliance of Mission-Based Recyclers (AMBR)

    • Our Work
      • Social Enterprise
      • Annual Reports
      • Media Center

    • Our People
      • Board of Directors
      • Career Opportunities
      • Volunteer with Us

    • Our Policies
      • Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Mandate
      • Privacy Policy
  • LEARN ABOUT ZERO WASTE

    • Zero Waste 101
      • What Is Zero Waste?
      • What Is Producer Responsibility?
      • Resource Library

    • Zero Waste and Climate
      • Zero Waste Is a Climate Change Solution
      • Why Zero Waste Is Often Left Out of Climate Action Plans

    • Zero Waste Benefits People
      • Zero Waste & Social Justice
      • Jobs & Economic Benefits of Zero Waste

    • Zero Waste Benefits the Planet
      • Pollution & Public Health
      • Zero Waste & Resource Conservation
  • SERVICES & FACILITIES

    • Eco-Cycle Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM)
      • CHaRM Fees
      • What We Accept at CHaRM

    • Boulder County Recycling Center
      • Recycling at the BCRC Video
      • FAQs About Recycling in Boulder County
      • What to Recycle in Your Curbside Bin

    • Zero Waste Facilities in Boulder County
      • Tour de Thrift Map
      • Hazardous Materials Management Facility

    • Zero Waste Hauling & Consulting
      • Zero Waste Hauling
      • Zero Waste Consulting
      • Zero Waste Event Services
  • OUR PROGRAMS

    • Reducing Plastics
      • The Global Plastics Crisis
      • Eliminating Problematic Plastics
      • Better Recycling Starts with Better Product Design
      • Producer Responsibility to Reduce Plastics
      • Campaigns & Policies to Reduce Plastics
      • The Problem with Microplastics

    • Composting and Carbon Farming
      • Building a Circular Compost System
      • What Is Carbon Farming?
      • Carbon Farming in Boulder County
      • Microbe Brew Compost Tea
      • What Is Biochar?
      • State & National Efforts

    • Zero Waste Colorado
      • The State of Recycling & Composting in Colorado
      • Statewide Legislative Campaigns
      • Community Legislative Campaigns
      • The Zero Waste Denver Campaign
      • Implementing the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act
        • Bag Fees Guide for Municipalities
        • Bag Fees Guide for Businesses
        • Bag Fees Guide for Communities

    • Creating a Model Zero Waste Community in Boulder County
      • Zero Waste Policies
      • Zero Waste Programs
        • School Programs
        • Eco-Leader Volunteer Network
        • Event Services
  • ECO-LIVING

    • Refuse and Reduce
      • Why Reduce?
      • Reducing Waste Starts at Home
      • How to Stop Junk Mail
      • Reduce Your Plastic Use
      • How to Reduce Food Waste
      • Be Straw Free

    • Reuse, Repair, and Share
      • Reusables as a Solution to Single-Use Disposables
      • Repair Resources
      • Reuse and Share Portal
      • Tour de Thrift
      • Zero Waste Holiday Guide

    • Recycling 101
      • Why Recycle?
      • Recycling Myths
      • The Truth About Plastics Recycling
      • Household Hazardous Waste

    • Composting 101
      • Why Compost?
      • How to Compost in Your Backyard
      • Curbside Composting
      • Composting with Worms
      • Winter Composting
  • GUIDES & RESOURCES

    • Guides for Boulder County
      • Recycling Guide
      • Composting Guide
        • Changing Compost Guidelines
        • FAQs About New Compost Guidelines
        • Clean Compost Campaign Toolkit
      • Reuse Guide
      • Repair Guide
      • Hazardous Waste Guide

    • Research and Reports
      • State of Recycling in Colorado 2022 Report
      • Composting in Denver Report
      • AMBR Chemical Recycling Report
      • Microplastics in Compost Report
      • More Reports

    • Resource Library
      • Guidelines
      • Videos
      • Toolkits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Presentations

    • Popular Tools
      • Recycling Sorting Game
      • The Eco-Cycle Guide
      • How to Stop Junk Mail
      • Zero Waste Schools Activity Guide
      • Zero Waste Holiday Guide
      • PPRA Toolkit
      • Clean Compost Campaign Toolkit

Statewide Legislative Campaigns

Eco-Cycle works at the state level to pass policies to increase recycling, composting, and waste reduction that foster the development of circular economies in Colorado.

Statewide Legislative Campaigns

Eco-Cycle works at the state level to pass policies to increase recycling, composting, and waste reduction that foster the development of circular economies in Colorado.

Statewide Legislative Campaigns

Eco-Cycle works at the state level to pass policies to increase recycling, composting, and waste reduction that foster the development of circular economies in Colorado.

Zero Waste Colorado

  • The State of Recycling & Composting in Colorado
  • Community Legislative Campaigns
  • The Zero Waste Denver Campaign
  • Implementing the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act

Creating Systemic Change Through Statewide Policy

While some communities, such as Boulder County, are Zero Waste leaders, Colorado recycles and composts only 16% of its waste—just half the national average of 32%. Colorado is challenged by economics: Landfilling waste here is cheap. We also lack industries that reuse and remanufacture discards into new products. And until recently, we haven’t had strong Zero Waste support or leadership at the state level. 

To significantly increase Colorado’s waste diversion, we need to change the system. We need to make recycling, composting, and other Zero Waste solutions more accessible and convenient to everyone, regardless of where you live. We think the best way to achieve this is by adopting state policies that improve Zero Waste infrastructure, services, and programs, and help develop recycling end markets.  

Over the past eight years, we have worked with partners like Recycle Colorado, Conservation Colorado, Environment Colorado, Colorado Public Interest Research Group, and the Sierra Club to educate state legislators and the state executive branch on Zero Waste issues and urge them to take action. We have engaged a growing cadre of Coloradans, tapping into their desire to improve recycling rates and become more sustainable. This work is paying off—while we still have more to do, we have made some significant progress!

Recent Statewide Victories

Producer Responsibility Program For Recycling (House Bill 22-1355)

This bill, written and championed by Eco-Cycle, passed the Colorado Legislature on May 11, 2022, making Colorado the first state in the country to create a fully producer-funded and operated statewide recycling system for all consumer-facing packaging and printed paper. This policy, when implemented,  will provide free recycling service to all Colorado residents, reduce unnecessary packaging, and build more resilient domestic supply chains to ease supply chain disruptions for Colorado manufacturers

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Lisa Cutter, Sen. Kevin Priola, and Sen. Julie Gonzales. Championed by Eco-Cycle, Recycle Colorado, and a broad coalition of national and state businesses, environmental advocates, residents, and over 65 Colorado communities— including dozens of rural communities who currently lack access to recycling programs, funding, and infrastructure—demonstrated the unquestionable support across the state for easier, more accessible recycling in Colorado. 

HB22-1355 fundamentally transforms Colorado’s recycling system by requiring companies that sell printed paper, cardboard, metal, glass, and plastic packaging in the state to pay for a statewide recycling system. The system will be administered by a producer-run nonprofit, known as a Producer Responsibility Organization, that will collect and manage producer funds and reimburse public and private service providers for collecting and processing recyclables.

Of several states who introduced Producer Responsibility legislation in 2022, including New York and Hawaii, Colorado was the only state to adopt this innovative legislation, with our bill deemed a “national model for Producer Responsibility” by the American Beverage Association. Learn more about Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Policy at www.recyclingforallcoloradans.org

For an overview of the policy and its benefits, see our fact sheet about HB22-1355: Producer Responsibility Program For Recycling.

Waste Diversion And Circular Economy Development Center (House Bill 22-1159)

House Bill 22-1159, which Eco-Cycle championed during the 2022 legislative session, was signed into law by Gov. Polis in June 2022. This bill will establish a Waste Diversion And Circular Economy Development Center in Colorado, with the goal of creating a more circular economy within the state where more local businesses make new products from locally recycled materials and return those materials back into our state’s economy. The Center will help Increase the demand for recycled materials by growing existing recycling and composting end markets in the state, while also creating new end markets by incentivizing Colorado businesses to use recycled materials in their production. 

The benefits include a robust local source for essential materials for manufacturing, including paper, glass, metal, and plastics; less waste going to the landfill; reduced transportation costs and emissions; and local job creation.

Learn more about the bill in our fact sheet about HB22-1159: Waste Diversion And Circular Economy Development Center.

Plastic Pollution Reduction Act (House Bill 21-1162)

Plastic pollution isn’t just happening in the oceans. In Colorado, scientists have found plastic particles raining down on Rocky Mountain National Park and Front Range communities, while plastic bags are the largest source of litter found in creek clean-ups in Colorado. It is estimated that humans ingest on average a credit card’s worth of plastic every week.    

To combat the growing plastic pollution problem, Eco-Cycle and partners helped draft and advocate for the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, which includes provisions to:

  • charge a $0.10 fee on paper and plastic bags at grocery and large retail stores starting in 2023 
  • ban plastic carry-out bags at grocery and large retail stores starting in 2024
  • ban polystyrene foam (​​“Styrofoam”) food and beverage containers at restaurants starting in 2024
  • remove a preemption law, making Colorado the first state to strike a plastic preemption, restoring the rights of local communities to take further actions to reduce plastic pollution

The bill was signed into law July 6, 2021 by Governor Jared Polis. With the passage of this monumental bill, Colorado became the 11th US state to ban single-use plastic bags, and the 8th state to ban polystyrene food and beverage takeout containers.

Agricultural Soil Health Program (House Bill 21-1181)

After many decades of industrial agriculture, in many parts of Colorado, we are losing soil faster than it can replenish. Applying compost to agricultural and range lands not only can bring that soil back to life but also can sequester carbon, creating an important tool to combat climate change. Eco-Cycle is a champion for expanding the use of compost on our soils and advocated for the passage of the Soil Health Program which was signed into law on June 21, 2021. It creates a voluntary program for farmers and ranchers, providing aid to them in conserving and enhancing soils, including through the use of compost. The bill sets up demonstration sites around the state for farmers and ranchers to see firsthand the impacts of using soil health techniques, including the application of compost. The program creates new positions for soil health advisors, grant funding for farmers, and a peer incentive program.     

Incentivize Development Recycling End Markets (Senate Bill 20-055) 

Each year, Colorado buries nearly $100 million worth of recyclable material, including aluminum, cardboard, paper, glass, and plastic in our landfills—material that could instead be recycled in-state, creating local jobs and strengthening local economies. Recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing already contribute $8.7 billion to the Colorado economy annually, yet there is so much more economic opportunity we can realize by investing in more recycling opportunities and businesses locally. A key obstacle, however, is that Colorado lacks local recycling markets for most major recyclable materials, with nearly all of our paper, metal, and plastic shipped out of state or even out of the country before being made into new products. 

To develop needed recycling end markets in Colorado, Eco-Cycle worked with Recycle Colorado and other state recyclers to lay the groundwork for a Recycling End Market Development Center, modeled after other successful states. Eco-Cycle testified before the state’s first-ever Zero Waste and Recycling Interim Committee and took legislators on tours of recycling facilities to learn more about the recycling market and its deficiencies in Colorado. Eco-Cycle helped legislators draft SB20-055, Incentivize Development Recycling End Markets, and lobbied for its successful passage. 

On July 13, 2020, SB20-055 was signed into law. The new Recycling End Market Development Center will enhance Colorado’s recycling economy by attracting businesses and entrepreneurs to Colorado to use our recyclable materials to make new products in-state. Developing these end markets in Colorado will increase the demand for recycled materials, which in turn will raise the value of recyclables and make recycling more economically viable, resulting in more materials diverted from landfills. 

Front Range Waste Diversion Enterprise Grant Program (Senate Bill 19-192)

When it comes to recycling and composting, Colorado has been a laggard for quite some time, with more than half of Colorado counties still lacking comprehensive curbside recycling programs. Realizing that most of the state’s waste is generated in the Front Range, Eco-Cycle proposed an increase in the tipping fee (the fee charged to dump waste at landfills) and for the collected funds to be used through grants to help local communities provide recycling, composting, and waste-reduction programs and services. Eco-Cycle worked with Recycle Colorado to turn this idea into a bill, and after intense negotiations, lobbying, and grassroots advocacy, the bill was passed and signed into law on May 30, 2019. The new law, known as The Front Range Waste Diversion Enterprise Grant Program, charges an additional $0.50 per ton of landfill waste each year for four years and then increases annually by inflation. It is estimated the fund will accrue over $10 million after the first four years. In its first two years of grant funding, the program has allocated over $3.4 million to 14 projects throughout the Front Range, which together are estimated to prevent 34,000 tons of waste from going to the landfill.  

Related Resources

  • Resources

Fact Sheet: Producer Responsibility Will Increase Recycling, Reduce Unnecessary Packaging, and Strengthen Supply Chains

Fact Sheet: How Local Governments will Benefit from a Producer Responsibility Policy in Colorado

Fact Sheet: Vote for Growing a Recycling Economy in Colorado-SB20-55

Fact Sheet: Reduce Plastic Pollution in Colorado

See All Resources
Responsive Menu
  • ABOUT US
    ▼
    • Our Mission
      ▼
      • Our Vision & Theory of Change
      • Our History
      • AMBR
    • Our Work
      ▼
      • Social Enterprise
      • Annual Reports
      • Media Center
    • Our People
      ▼
      • Board of Directors
      • Career Opportunities
      • Volunteer with Us
    • Our Policies
      ▼
      • JEDI Mandate
      • Privacy Policy
  • LEARN ABOUT ZERO WASTE
    ▼
    • Zero Waste 101
      ▼
      • What Is Zero Waste?
      • What Is Producer Responsibility?
      • Resource Library
    • Zero Waste and Climate
      ▼
      • A Climate Change Solution
      • Left Out of Climate Action Plans
    • Zero Waste Benefits People
      ▼
      • Zero Waste & Social Justice
      • Jobs & Economic Benefits
    • Zero Waste Benefits the Planet
      ▼
      • Pollution & Public Health
      • Resource Conservation
  • SERVICES AND FACILITIES
    ▼
    • Eco-Cycle CHaRM Facility
      ▼
      • CHaRM Fees
      • What We Accept
    • Boulder County Recycling Center
    • Other Zero Waste Facilities
    • Zero Waste Hauling & Consulting
  • OUR PROGRAMS
    ▼
    • Reducing Plastics
      ▼
      • The Global Plastics Crisis
      • Eliminating Problematic Plastics
      • Better Product Design
      • Plastics Producer Responsibility
      • Campaigns & Policies
      • The Problem with Microplastics
    • Composting & Carbon Farming
      ▼
      • A Circular Compost System
      • What Is Carbon Farming?
      • Carbon Farming in BoCo
      • Microbe Brew Compost Tea
      • What Is Biochar?
      • State & National Efforts
    • Zero Waste Colorado
      ▼
      • State of Recycling & Composting
      • Statewide Campaigns
      • Community Campaigns
      • Zero Waste Denver Campaign
      • Implementing the PPRA
        ▼
        • For Municipalities
        • For Businesses
        • For Communities
    • Boulder County Zero Waste Model
      ▼
      • Zero Waste Policies
      • Zero Waste Programs
        ▼
        • Schools Programs Overview
        • Eco-Leader Volunteer Network
        • Event Services
  • ECO-LIVING
    ▼
    • Refuse & Reduce
      ▼
      • Why Reduce?
      • Reducing Waste Starts at Home
      • How to Stop Junk Mail
      • Reduce Your Plastic Use
      • How to Reduce Food Waste
      • Be Straw Free
    • Reuse, Repair & Share
      ▼
      • Reusables as a Solution
      • Repair Resources
      • Reuse and Share Portal
      • Tour de Thrift
      • Zero Waste Holiday Guide
    • Recycling 101
      ▼
      • Why Recycle?
      • The Truth About Plastics Recycling
      • Recycling Myths
      • Household Hazardous Waste
    • Composting 101
      ▼
      • Why Compost?
      • Backyard Composting
      • Curbside Composting
      • Composting with Worms
      • Winter Composting
  • GUIDES & RESOURCES
    ▼
    • Guides for Boulder County
      ▼
      • Recycling Guide
      • Composting Guide
        ▼
        • Changing Compost Guidelines
        • Compost Guidelines FAQs
        • Clean Compost Toolkit
      • Reuse Guide
      • Repair Guide
      • Hazardous Waste Guide
    • Research and Reports
      ▼
      • 2022 SoRC Report
      • Composting in Denver Report
      • Chemical Recycling Report
      • Microplastics in Compost
      • More Reports
    • Resource Library
      ▼
      • Guidelines
      • Videos
      • Toolkits
      • Fact Sheets
    • Popular Tools
      ▼
      • Recycling Sorting Game
      • The Eco-Cycle Guide
      • How to Stop Junk Mail
      • ZW Schools Activity Guide
      • PPRA Toolkit
      • Clean Compost Toolkit
  • GET INVOLVED
    ▼
    • Volunteer with Us
    • Eco-Leader Volunteer Network
    • Eco-Leader Events Calendar
    • Subscribe
  • CONTACT US
  • DONATE
  • FOLLOW US

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

A-Z RECYCLING GUIDE


  • PLAY OUR RECYCLING SORTING GAME
  • RESOURCE LIBRARY
  • MEDIA CENTER
  • CONTACT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 19006
Boulder, CO 80308

Office & CHaRM Address:
6400 Arapahoe Rd.
Boulder, CO 80303

Recycle Hotline:
303.444.6634