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Waste 360: How Compost Operators Navigate the Organics Business

Stefanie Valentic, speaker at the 2022 Summit & Symposium conference, catches up with Recycle Colorado and COCC members, Jamie Blanchard-Poling with Compost Queen, Winn Cowman of Cowgirl Compost, and Julie Mach with Elements Mountain Compost, to discuss how they each launched their organics recycling businesses in Colorado.

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2022 Summit for Recycling

2022 Summit for Recycling Archive

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The City of Colorado Springs received a FRWD Grant!

The City of Colorado Springs received a FRWD grant for laying the ground work to move in the direction of managing waste in the city.

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How Eco-Cycle is working to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics at the local, state, and national levels

"Over the past few years, Eco-Cycle has increasingly received more and more questions asking if the plastics collected in Boulder County are actually recycled, largely in response to national news stories on the challenges of plastics recycling. We appreciate these questions because plastics recycling is complicated and has legitimate challenges. We want to be fully transparent with you, our recyclers, and fellow community members, about what happens to your plastics, when plastics recycling can work, and why plastics recycling isn’t enough to solve our plastics problem."

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NextCycle Colorado to showcase nine business ideas to improve recycling in Colorado at the 2022 pitch competition

From CDPHE Communications Department:

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The Journey of Recycling Starts with Colorado's Young Artists

The 15th Annual Recycle Colorado Poster Contest kicked off in April this year and was a huge success! This years theme was "The Journey of Recycling" which asked students to help us "paint the picture" of how our recyclables can become new products. We received over 100 poster submissions from students all across the state. It was amazing to see such a diverse range of mediums used in each piece of artwork. Some students went above and beyond and used recyclable materials to make their artwork, which aligned perfectly with this year's theme.

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Letter of Intent process now open for FRWD RFA #6

Stage 1 for the Front Range Waste Diversion (FRWD) Program's sixth Request for Applications (RFA) is now open. The Letter of Intent is due June 20, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. MDT.

This RFA introduces a change in procedure from previous offerings. FRWD RFA #BF083122 will utilize a new two-stage application process.

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Recycle Colorado Hires an Executive Director

Longmont, CO, May 2, 2022 - Recycle Colorado is excited to announce the selection of a new Executive Director, Dr. Elizabeth O’Connell Chapman.  

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Recycling and Composting Accountability Act Passes Senate Committee

The Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, S3743, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Sen. Carper of Delaware and Sen. Boozman of Arkansas, calling for data collection, infrastructure quantification, study of compost best practices, compost use markets and compostable packaging feedstocks, passed the Senate Environment, Public Works and Transportation Committee just this morning.

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Landmark bill introduced to transform Colorado’s recycling system

Producer Responsibility policy will provide recycling to all Colorado residents, reduce unnecessary packaging, and build more resilient domestic supply chains to ease supply chain disruptions for Colorado businesses. 

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DDPHE Recognizes Food Waste Prevention Week

Simple changes can save residents money and reduce negative environmental impacts

Ending food loss and waste requires purposeful action. With approximately 40% of all food in the U.S. wasted, Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) is encouraging Denver residents to #SaveTheFood during Food Waste Prevention Week (April 4-8, 2022). Simple steps can help residents save money, reduce hunger in our communities, and protect our environment.

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Foam Cycle Granted U.S. Patent

Foam Cycle Granted U.S. Patent for a Method and System of Recycling Polystyrene Waste

Foam Cycle, the first foam packaging recycling system designed to be placed at outdoor municipal recycling drop-off centers, was recently issued a Utility Patent. The patent outlines a “method and system of recycling polystyrene waste”. Foam packaging, also known as Styrofoam, is one of the most plentiful, yet least recycled plastics in existence today. With Foam Cycle's system, foam packaging can now be recycled! The first Foam Cycle system in Colorado was placed at SustainAbility in Arvada CO last year. Read More!

RFA #ZW030422: Advancing Front Range Communities up the "Zero Waste Ladder"

Deadline: March 4, 2022

Reaching Colorado’s ambitious waste diversion goal will take the active participation of every Front Range community, resident, and business. A key aspect of this vision, as laid out in the 2016 Colorado Integrated Solid Waste & Materials Management Plan, is for every Front Range community to ultimately provide access to universal curbside recycling and compost collections for all residents, using best practices of bundling with trash services and incentivizing through volume-based pricing, also known as Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT). Realizing this vision requires each community to take multiple steps to advance up the “Zero Waste Ladder”.

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Colorado Waste Diversion Grant: Building Opportunities to Maximize Waste Diversion and Create Jobs in Colorado

Deadline: March 1, 2022

The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to fund projects, sustainable beyond the grant period that will enhance the financial viability of recycling, composting, reuse, repurposing, and waste reduction in Colorado and will create new jobs in the state. Preventing waste before it is created is the most effective reduction method, followed by reuse, and recycling. 

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Welcome Your New 2022 Board Members

The results from the 2021 board election are in! We are happy to welcome 6 wonderful candidates onto our board for the 2022 year. Our current board members will be joined by Alicia Archibald, Tim Broderick (who will be serving one year in place of a departing member), Melissa Kirr, Neil Noble, Jennifer Richardson, and Jonathan Wachtel.

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EPA Environmental Education Local Grant

Deadline: December 6, 2021

The purpose of the Environmental Education Local Grants Program in Region 8 is to support locally-focused environmental education projects that increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues and provide the skills that participants in its funded projects need to make informed decisions and take responsible actions toward the environment.

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Front Range Waste Diversion (FRWD) Grant: Advancing Organic Waste Diversion and Composting on the Front Range

Deadline: December 20, 2021

The open Front Range Waste Diversion (FRWD) request for applications (RFA) focuses on Organic Waste and Composting, which is essential to reaching Colorado’s waste diversion goals and is a major priority of the FRWD board of directors. Applications are invited that plan to establish or expand programs, policies, and infrastructure to reduce organic waste or to increase organic waste collections, processing, and beneficial end markets and applications.

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Board of Directors Election 2021

In November, eligible Recycle Colorado members will elect five (5) candidates to serve on the Board of Directors for a three-year term (2022-2024, ending December 2024). Recycle Colorado members will receive an email in October with more information about the election. The Nominating Committee is confident that the presented candidates have the time, ability and inclination to serve on the Board of Directors. Questions about the slate of candidates or the selection process can be directed to Tim Dailey, Board President.

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Events Planning

Annual Meeting

October 13, 2021 - Sign Up

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Moving Mountains of Materials - 2021 Colorado Recycling Awards

The strength of the recycling industry grows from the grassroots up, from volunteers and entrepreneurs to the communities and industries that build out our infrastructure. Recycle Colorado is proud to celebrate this year’s 2021 Recycling Award recipients, who are recognized for their ability to adapt during a challenging year and also for keeping on as they always have, with diligence, creativity and perseverance.

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