The Zero Waste and Recycling Interim Study Committee announced four bills they will consider on October 22 at their final meeting. At that final meeting, the committee will vote on which two bills to approve as the bills that will be expedited through the legislative process when the session begins January 8, 2020. The two bills that do not come from the committee can be introduced during the regular session by individual legislators (they would not have the backing of the committee and would not be expedited).

On September 10, the Zero Waste and Recycling Interim Committee (ZWRISC) identified five bill concepts that will be expanded into draft bills. The drafts will be completed by October 2 so that a fiscal analysis can be completed prior to the next ZWRISC meeting. The Committee will meet October 22 to vote on which two bills will pass out of the committee as official ZWRISC bills. Draft bills that are not selected by the committee on October 22 can still be introduced in January by individual legislators.

The five bill concepts are:

The Colorado Contractor’s Challenge (CCC) is a free program designed by contractors, for contractors, that provides recognition and support to companies who pledge to improve their green building practices. Companies choose commitments from a list of 15 voluntary measures based on job site conditions and company goals. Recycle Colorado provides support, resources and trainings to fill gaps in implementation. Participating contractors receive individually tailored assistance such as:

• Waste management plan review
• On-site recycling training
• Recycling signage support
• Collaboration with construction and demolition recyclers

Eleven companies based in the Front Range and Summit, Eagle and Pitkin counties have taken the pledge since the program launch in April 2019.

All of Colorado’s K-12 students are invited to showcase their artistic talent and their commitment to recycling by participating in Recycle Colorado’s 13th Annual Recycling Poster Contest. One grand-prize winner receives a $100 gift card. The grand-prize winner’s school receives a $200 gift card for room supplies.

Colorado has a closed-loop economy for glass bottles, yet it is estimated that less than 30 percent of the glass that enters the waste stream is actually collected for recycling. Recycle Colorado designed the Glass Recycling Pilot Project to study the barriers to recycling in the commercial sector in the City of Denver.

As announced earlier this year, Laurie Johnson is transitioning back to the private sector. Laurie accepted a position with 5280 Recycling Solutions as Chief Operating Offier for their recycling division. The Recycle Colorado Board, in partnership with Laurie and 5280, agreed to participate in a transparent and thoughtful transition process over the course of 2019. After the planning and execution of a successful Summit in Pueblo, Laurie's official last day with Recycle Colorado was June 15, 2019.

Happy Spring! Recycle Colorado is hard at work organizing an innovative and educational Summit for Recycling conference June 9-11! I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of our other updates.

Recycle Colorado is proud to announce the recipients of the 2019 Recycling Awards. Winners were nominated by their peers in recognition of their contributions to or promotion of recycling and waste reduction. This year’s awards highlight champions for recycling in rural Colorado, lawmakers dedicated to waste diversion, and businesses that exemplify waste reduction best practices.

All of Colorado’s K-12 students were invited to showcase their artistic talent and their commitment to the environment. This year's theme was "What can I recycle?"

Recycle Colorado's Composting Council is an official chapter of the United States Composting Council (USCC). The USCC Certification Commission offers two credentials: Certified Compost Operations Manager™ and Certified Composting Professional™.

Each year Recycle Colorado seeks nominations for our annual Recycling Awards. These prestigious awards recognize governmental entities, individuals, companies, media and organizations for their excellence in recycling or promotion of recycling. The 2019 awards will be presented at the 30th annual Summit for Recycling conference in Pueblo, Colorado, June 9-11. Please inform your nominee to plan on being in Pueblo on Monday, June 10th from 6:00pm to 8:30pm for the awards ceremony. Award recipients will be notified by May 3, 2019.

Deadline for Proposals: Friday, April 12, 2019

In 2018 the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment launched Colorado NextCycle, an innovative program to jumpstart end-market development in the state. Attend the Summit for Recycling, June 9-11, in Pueblo to hear directly from the selected NextCycle teams as they share their business ideas with recycling professionals and investors.

2019 is off to an exciting start for Recycle Colorado. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of our new updates.

Operations Director

The Operations Director for Recycle Colorado is a new position in the organization for 2019. This is an exempt full-time position based out of our Denver office location. The Operations Director, under the direction of the Executive Director, is a key person in Recycle Colorado’s goal of delivering high-value programs and resources to our partners, members and communities statewide.

Recycle Colorado, in partnership with GE Johnson, kicks off the 2019 Colorado Contractor’s Challenge! The Challenge is a voluntary program designed to encourage contractors based in Colorado to initiate or improve their sustainability efforts.  It’s an easy way to receive community recognition and promotion of your company’s green business practices.

Colorado’s closed-loop system needs more recycled glass

A six-month glass-collection pilot project coordinated by Recycle Colorado will increase the collection of glass bottles in downtown Denver. The project provides 96-gallon recycling carts to participating businesses and arranges for glass collection services through May 2019. Businesses can participate for free.

Eco-Cycle and CoPIRG, released their second annual State of Recycling in Colorado report, which found that Colorado generated a record 9.3 million tons of waste in 2017, while the state’s recycling rate remained stagnant at 12 percent, well below the national average of 35 percent.

The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) honored their recycling awards recipients at the 2018 Resource Recycling Conference in St. Louis last week.  The awards program honors outstanding individuals, programs and organizations around the country, both for their achievements and to serve as a model and a resource for NRC members.