DENVER - The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is pleased to celebrate Colorado Recycles Week, from November 11-15, and encourages everyone to do their part to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

“We can all demonstrate our love for Colorado by doing our part to keep waste out of our natural spaces and landfills. Recycling doesn’t just reduce waste,  it also creates jobs and drives our economy too,” said Governor Polis. “I’m incredibly proud to participate in Colorado Recycles Week and to help Colorado lead the nation toward a cleaner future. I hope you join me in making an effort to reduce, reuse and recycle.”

“Colorado Recycles Week is a great opportunity to think about how we can all make a difference, by finding innovative ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, CDPHE executive director. “These small actions will help to build a healthier, more sustainable Colorado for generations to come.”  

CDPHE continues to lay the groundwork for advancing sustainability.

Reducing waste

- In March 2024, CDPHE updated the state’s compost regulations to expand opportunities for food waste composting. These updates are based on the findings of the Statewide Organics Management Plan.

- In July 2024, the department published the Colorado Organics Diversion Study, which outlines potential ways to reduce the disposal of organic waste in landfills. This study expands on the benefits of organic waste diversion, such as greenhouse gas emissions savings and reductions in water use.

- In May 2023, the Governor signed the Compostables Labeling Act into law. The law requires food service products and plastic products labeled as compostable that are sold or distributed in Colorado to be certified as compostable. The law will make certified compostable food service products easily recognizable and aims to reduce potential contamination at compost facilities due to misleading labeling. Any person may file a complaint against a producer in violation through the Compostable Labeling Complaint form.

Providing equitable recycling collection

- The Producer Responsibility Program for statewide recycling implementation is well underway. The program will begin in January 2026, and it will provide a convenient, cost-effective, statewide recycling system, with free and equitable recycling for all Colorado residents.  

- One gallon of improperly disposed paint can pollute up to 250,000 gallons of water. The Colorado Paint Stewardship Program, operated by PaintCare with oversight by CDPHE, supports the convenient collection of unused paint. Since 2015, PaintCare has collected over 6.1 million gallons of unused paint and has established 205 free drop-off sites across Colorado. The department encourages the public to bring any leftover paint to one of PaintCare’s many drop-off locations.

Advancing Colorado’s circular economy

- On May 8, a 2024 law established the Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise. This new program modernizes pollution prevention, establishes a single board of directors, and will provide greater flexibility for grants, project funding, and technical assistance for all of Colorado.

- Colorado’s Circular Economy Development Center opened on July 1, 2023. The center, in partnership with the Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise Board, supports new end markets, attracts remanufacturers and entrepreneurs to the state, and provides the necessary infrastructure, logistics, and marketing to create a sustainable circular economy for recycled products.

- The Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise is supporting a sixth cohort of Colorado NextCycle, a CDPHE program that aims to increase recycling rates by boosting remanufacturing solutions for recycled material in Colorado. NextCycle is accepting applications from interested teams through December 4.