DENVER — Colorado isn't great at recycling and not recycling properly can be quite expensive.
Celene Andreano is with the company Glass to Glass, which processes used bottles, lightbulbs and mugs for local companies to make into new bottles, which can keep costs down.
"Local hauling costs are lower, transport of this product is local," said Andreano. However, Colorado isn't set up for this kind of system on a large-scale.
"There is an issue of supply because Colorado has lacked a centralized model for recycling," said Andreano.
According to Andreano, it's also an industry that isn't well funded.
Suzanne Jones is the executive director for Eco-Cycle, a recycling organization. She said the costs add up quickly.
"Each year, Colorado landfills have over 530,000 tons of valuable recyclable materials like boxes, jars, aluminum cans, that represents over a $100 million in value," said Jones.
Jones said recycling cans can save over 90% of the embodied energy and eliminate the need to mine for new materials.
Same goes for glass. Recycled glass can also be melted at a lower temperature, reducing the carbon foot print for bottle manufacturers. Not to mention, the stuff being thrown away is coveted.
"It's some of the same material international corporations and small local business have been having trouble sourcing because of supply chain issues," said Jones.
One example is beer. Some companies have started buying cans from other countries. That's increased their cost of business, which resulted in price hikes, when there were cans buried right here in Colorado. A big reason that happens is because the state is at the bottom of the list for recycling and composting.
"By far the biggest reasons Colorado has one of the worst recycling and compost rates in the country," said Jones, "We only divert about 16%, half the national average. It's because people don't have guaranteed access to recycling services. Six out of the ten largest cities in Colorado do not have convenient curbside recycling," she added.
"The only way is up for Colorado," said Andreano.
Jones and Andreano both said that it is coming in the form of new laws of trying to create a new recycling eco-system.
"All Coloradans will have free and convenient access to recycling services," said Jones.
There are also efforts to streamline sorting through recycled materials.
Jones said it will take several years for all of the new laws to go into full effect. Because the cost of recycling services has been a barrier, some companies will chip in to cover those costs, especially when they can use the recycled materials for their business. That way the financial responsibility of changing recycling services doesn't fall on individuals.
Jones said it's actually a system set up in other countries but got pushed back in the U.S.
Now she said companies seem to be coming around to the idea and getting on board.
Jones said that up until this point, a lot of decisions were left to individual cities and counties that have been working on this issue, but there was a realization that statewide legislation could help too.
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