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.

The Executive Director Monthly Update keeps our members and partners up to date on all the action groups, projects, councils, round tables and events that are ongoing throughout the year. We appreciate your support and welcome you to jump in and participate!

Applications accepted three times a year

Funding for alternative fueling infrastructure and alternative fuel vehicles, cover 80% of the conversion costs to switch to natural gas.

Rolling application

This grant program provides recycling bins, training on sustainable waste management and enough funds to get your recycling program rolling.

Rolling application

A grant program that supports elementary school waste reduction & recycling programs. Schools accepted into the program receive $2,000 over 3 years, personalized assistance achieving their goals, and support from our partners and local member schools.

Small Manufacturer’s Advantage (SMA) is a partnership program providing integrated support to small manufacturers across Colorado by leveraging the coordination of key strategic organizations such as Manufacturer’s Edge, the Colorado Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC), the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), and the World Trade Center (WTC). The result is a unique and powerful synthesis of expertise and resources designed to help Colorado manufacturers succeed across all stages of the organizational life cycle.

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.