2020 Program

Plenaries

• Circular Economy
• Extended Producer Responsibility
• Colorado Climate Action Plan

• Make Circularity Part of Your Business Model
  This session focuses on how materials used in your daily operations could be evaluated for circular design, recyclability and second-life potential. Explore how materials flow through your P&L and hear success stories of how businesses are approaching circular models.

• Policy Solutions to Address Urban Challenges
  Low recycling markets have negative financial impacts and are causing some communities to consider shutting down recycling operations. Low recycling rates are also preventing businesses from moving to Colorado who want to use recycled materials. We have both a supply and demand problem. What lessons can be learned and how can we insulate against difficult markets? What policies can communities utilize that increase recycling and attract end markets?

• Innovations in Recycling and Upcycling
  As the West ramps up its efforts to create new end markets for recyclables, learn what various organizations are doing to propel innovation in recycling and upcycling.

• Organics Recycling: Turning a Natural Resource into the Solution
  Composting advances waste diversion and avoids landfill methane emissions. Applying compost improves soil health which conserves water and sequesters carbon. Learn how Colorado’s proposed Organics Management Plan aims to catalyze these benefits while technologies such as anaerobic digestion and compostable products fit into this natural solution.

• Bridging the Gap Between Package Design and Recycling
  This session showcases how producers of packaging material examine full life-cycle analysis in their product design to ensure marketability for that material’s end of life.

• On-site Commercial and Community Food Waste Reduction and Recycling
  Several efforts are underway to prevent food waste and increase food donation programs in neighborhoods and restaurants. Learn about medium- and small-scale community and sector-specific food waste reduction and food scrap recycling strategies that can be implemented by restaurants, neighborhood leaders and municipalities.

• Tap Into Grant Funding
  Learn how to find, write proposals and apply for grants. This session will focus on rural and urban grant funding opportunities and consider funding sources such as Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity grants and Front Range Waste Diversion Enterprise grants.

• How to Build a Circular Economy Innovation Center in the West
  Colorado legislators are considering the establishment of a Recycling End Market Development Center to encourage innovation and more robust end-market businesses in the state. This session reviews the content of the bill and how similar innovation centers have been implemented. Participate in a hands-on workshop to explore how we can work together across the supply chain to build a center.

• Industry Collaboration to Move the Needle Toward Circularity
  Hear from industries, associations and trade groups about how multiple stakeholders are working together to create solutions for problem materials, innovate more sustainable products and systems and advocate for local and international change.

• How Can the Metro-Denver Region Work Together to Increase Colorado’s Diversion Rate?
  The Denver Metro area is home to nearly 50% of the state’s population. This workshop builds upon a new collaborative regional effort to identify the greatest challenges and opportunities related to materials management within the Denver metro wasteshed. This session will identify one or more strategic opportunities for regional collaboration in 2020 to improve regional infrastructure, remove policy barriers, enhance markets and improve access to waste-related data.

• Reach and Teach Your Community to Recycle Properly
  This speed-learning session is designed to maximize knowledge to improve your community’s recycling. This session will break into small groups to focus on social marketing, signage, toolkits, school education and smart purchasing.

• Policy Solutions to Address Rural Challenges
  Low recycling markets have negative financial impacts and are causing some communities to consider shutting down recycling operations. Low recycling rates are also preventing businesses from moving to Colorado who want to use recycled materials. We have both a supply and demand problem. What lessons can be learned and how can we insulate against difficult markets? What policies can communities utilize that increase recycling and attract end markets?

• Plastics Recycling
  Tour Denver-based plastics recycler Direct Polymers' post-industrial rigid plastics recycling operation. The facility is expanding its post-consumer processing capabilities and works with a variety of polymers, including PET, PET-G, LDPE, PS, PVC-Rigid, PVC-Flex, ABS, Polycarbonate, Nylon 6/66, Acrylic, and HDPE.
• Zero Waste Operations