Colorado Ramps Up Rural Recycling Program

Rural Colorado residents will soon have improved access to recycling facilities thanks to the Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act, a law passed in 2022.

As Ilana Newman explains in Daily Yonder, “The law wants to promote circular economies that cut down on waste and support recycling in rural parts of the state. A circular economy looks at the end of life of a product and helps it to be revitalized, recycled or reused instead of trashed.” Now, the Circular Action Alliance is developing a program that can be implemented in the coming years.

Newman highlights efforts made by local communities and individuals to manage their waste and recycling before the law is enacted, but many struggled to access funding and resources. “The Producer Responsibility program in Colorado will require companies to pay for the eventual recycling of their packaging which will fund recycling around the state.”

The state is also looking for ways to make recycling more cost-efficient or even profitable, such as incentivizing businesses that use locally produced recycled materials to avoid high transportation costs.