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Consultation Sessions to help bring recycling for all Coloradans is happening NOW!
For more information and how to get involved in the consultation process, please visit the website for Circular Action Alliance, Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Organization.
Thanks to your support…
Colorado Producer Responsibility Bill Passed!
Colorado legislature passes landmark bill to transform statewide recycling system
What is the Colorado Producer Responsibility Policy?
THE PROBLEM: Colorado recycles and composts a mere 15% of our discards, less than half the national recycling and composting rate of 32%. That makes us one of the 20 most wasteful states in the US! According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, we landfill $100 million worth of recyclable materials from packaging every year. Part of the reason for this low recycling rate is that Coloradans do not have equal access to recycling.
THE SOLUTION: A Colorado Producer Responsibility Policy (House Bill 22-1355) will significantly shift our low recycling rate and create more equitable access by making it easy for all Coloradans to recycle more plastics, aluminum, glass, cardboard, and printed paper. It will also help the companies that make your products by creating a more resilient domestic supply chain of recycled materials to make new products and reduce reliance on imported materials.
How will Producer Responsibility for containers, packaging, and printed paper impact recycling in Colorado?
Through a Producer Responsibility policy, Colorado can transform its currently broken recycling system from an inequitable, disjointed, confusing, and inconvenient patchwork of programs into a coordinated, equitable, and cost-effective statewide system. This policy can take the guesswork out of recycling by creating one statewide list of what is recyclable, and create financial incentives for companies to reduce unnecessary packaging and shift toward using more reusable and recyclable packaging. This will rapidly improve Colorado’s recycling rate and result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, cleaner air and water, less waste sent to landfills, and stronger local economies.
The Benefits of a Colorado Producer Responsibility Policy
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A Colorado Producer Responsibility Policy will make it easy for all residents to recycle more plastics, aluminum cans, glass bottles, cardboard, and printed paper, including at apartments and in rural areas.
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The law will support Colorado businesses by creating a more resilient domestic supply of raw materials to make new products.
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Producer Responsibility creates financial incentives for companies to reduce unnecessary packaging and shift toward using more reusable and recyclable packaging.
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The law will improve Colorado’s recycling rate, resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, cleaner air and water, less waste sent to landfills, and stronger local economies.
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The law will develop a clear common list of what can be recycled statewide.
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The law will save local governments money by reimbursing their costs to run recycling programs.
Producer Responsibility Is a Proven Solution for Colorado
Colorado’s Producer Responsibility program for paint, run by PaintCare, has successfully increased paint recycling and saved municipalities tens of thousands of dollars per year since implementation in 2015. This policy would build off these proven principles to increase recycling for containers, packaging, and paper.
Get involved in Producer Responsibility for Colorado
Sign up for email updates from CDPHE on the policy implementation and important opportunities for public input.
Register as a producer and for consultation sessions with the Producer Responsibility Organization, Circular Action Alliance.
Join Recycle Colorado, statewide membership organization to improve recycling in Colorado.