Circular Colorado to launch development center to grow end markets for recycled commodities

Circular Colorado, a Denver-based nonprofit organization that develops circular economy solutions by advancing the collection of waste materials and expanding end markets in the state, has been awarded a contract by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to create and administer a circular economy development center (CEDC) and grow end markets for recycled commodities.

According to Circular Colorado, the state’s recycling rate has stalled at about 16 percent, well below the state’s 2021 goal of 28 percent diversion. By supporting end market development, the state has the potential to increase regional demand for materials, moving Colorado closer to its diversion goal, the organization says.

“The work of increasing and creating end markets must move beyond the recycling industry to embrace the industries of manufacturing, transportation and other sectors that all play a role in circular economy creation,” Circular Colorado founder and CEO Laurie Johnson says.

The organization cites the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, which says a circular economy tackles climate change and other global challenges like biodiversity loss, waste and pollution by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources. It is a resilient system that is good for business, people and the environment.

In addition to supporting and expanding existing and new recycling end-market businesses, Circular Colorado says the CEDC will help increase the value of recycled materials, decrease transportation costs and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect air and water quality. The organization says the center will launch July 1 and is funded through two existing grant programs—the Front Range Waste Diversion (FRWD) program and the Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity (RREO) program.