Two Steamboat Springs residents played a key role in the research and planning of a new statewide program that will provide free recycling to all Colorado residents starting in 2026.
Winn Cowman, a consultant with Sandhill Environmental Services, and Steamboat City Council President Gail Garey are among those who helped create the Extended Producer Responsibility team In Colorado. Environmental policies require producers to take more stewardship responsibility for the products and packaging they produce.
Gary, who sits on a 13-member advisory committee from across the state, said a key component of the plan is “making sure that everyone who has trash service also has access to recycling service, but today, everyone living in Routt County No one can enjoy this service.
“The purpose of the Producer Responsibility Program is to put the cost of recycling on the producers of materials, thereby lowering costs for consumers while increasing recycling in Steamboat Springs and throughout Colorado,” Gary said. “It also creates Develop a system to reduce the use of non-recyclable materials and encourage the use of recycled materials in new products.”
Gary said the plan will also reduce confusion around recycling because it creates a statewide minimum list of recyclables, which will reduce questions about what can and cannot be recycled by different waste vendors or regions around the state.
The statewide program will reduce fees for manufacturers who design products and packaging that have a lower environmental impact.
“Anyone selling products in Colorado is encouraged to minimize packaging or make their packaging more recyclable to reduce expenses,” Cowman said.
Cowman said the new rules will help Colorado transform from “one of the worst recycling states in the country to a leading state.”
“Colorado’s rural areas especially benefit because this program provides all residents with the opportunity to recycle,” Cowman said. “This will bring recycling services to everyone in the state, with either curbside access or drop-off. Residents who already have access to recycling will see a reduction in their waste disposal fees as the state plans to increase recycling rates across the board starting in 2026. Pay recycling fees in advance.
Last week, the Colorado General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee approved a recycling program proposal recommended by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Now implementation of the country’s producer responsibility law can move forward.
The program requires manufacturers of applicable products to contribute a small amount to recycle products and packaging sold by the company in the state. The funds will help manage the useful life of materials through collection, processing and recycling or composting.
Colorado Designated Recycling Action Coalition May 2023 Serves as the Producer Responsibility Organization to coordinate, fund and manage the statewide recycling system. The plan requires producers to join the Circular Action Alliance by July 1, 2025 (with some exemptions for small producers, etc.) and to start paying membership fees in January 2026.
According to CDPHE, for online purchases, manufacturers include both the producer of the packaging materials that directly contain the product and the entity that packages or ships the product to the consumer. If the packaging material is essential for the long-term use or storage of the product, such as a CD case or a refillable baby bottle, it is not considered a mandatory material under the regulations.
Some of the specific goals of the scheme are to incentivize sustainable packaging, save local authorities money, increase recycling and reuse, reduce climate pollution and provide free and fair recycling for all residents.
According to a needs assessment report released by CDPHE, only about 25% of consumer packaging and paper products are currently recycled in Colorado, and only 20% of households in rural areas currently have curbside recycling services.
The plan will develop accessible recycling services and equitable recycling services in rural areas and multifamily residential communities while allowing for phased construction of infrastructure and collection of resources. Rachel Setzke, senior policy and research associate at Eco-Cycle in Boulder, said three other states (Maine, Oregon and California) already have producer responsibility regulations in place, and 11 more are in the process of conducting needs assessments or rolling out bills.
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