A $200 million-plus statewide expansion of recycling is set to launch in 2026, paid for by grants to communities from fees charged on consumer packaging companies, after Colorado officials approved a detailed rollout plan.
In giving final approval to the packaging producers’ plan, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment rejected a challenge from the American Chemistry Council trade group that would have given plastics producers more credit for controversial “chemical recycling” of hard-to-reuse items.
The plan should bring tangible recycling expansion to all corners of Colorado at no cost to residents, environmental groups said, while bringing traceability for how much packaging in the state is truly recycled and builds to a more “circular” economy.
The plan as approved “underscores the importance of establishing a transparent, verifiable recycling system in Colorado,” said Suzanne Jones, executive director of the nonprofit recycler Eco-Cycle. The plan makes Colorado only the second state in the nation requiring consumer packaging producers to charge themselves a fee based on volume, and use the money to reimburse communities for free recycling programs, Jones said.
While Colorado and local governments are hoping to make big strides in recycling rates, we’re starting from behind. Rejecting efforts by the plastics industry or others to promote “greenwashing” of recycling accounting is also “a major milestone in bringing this transformative program to Colorado,” Jones said. “That is significant, and it will be a model for other states.”
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