Colorado announces 10th grant cycle for waste diversion projects

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has announced the Front Range Waste Diversion program’s 10^th grant cycle to support Front Range waste and recycling projects.

The grant provides up to $500,000 of total funding for short-term, small-scale projects contributing to Front Range waste diversion. Applicants may request between $20,000 and $50,000 in funding.

“Our board is committed to practical sustainability and tangible impacts,” says Suzanne Jones, chair of the Front Range Waste Diversion board of directors. “As we launch our 10th round of funding, our grants are more than financial support, they're catalysts for real change that will help transform waste challenges into community-driven solutions in the Front Range.”

RELATED: CDPHE announces 9th grant cycle for waste diversion projects

Eligible grant applicants include municipal, county and tribal governments, educational institutions and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Projects must directly impact at least one of the following Front Range counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Pueblo, Teller or Weld County.

Projects must divert waste from Colorado landfills through waste diversion, reduction or elimination practices, including the elimination of waste before it happens, reuse, recycling, composting or the creation of end markets.

CDPHE says active participation from businesses, organizations and local governments is crucial to reaching Colorado’s waste diversion targets because Front Range communities contribute approximately 85 percent of the state’s waste.

RELATED: Colorado announces fifth year of NextCycle program

Prospective applicants for this round of funding must attend one of four virtual question-and-answer sessions to be eligible. Applications are due March 8.

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Since its inception in 2020, the Front Range Waste Diversion program has awarded nearly $18 million to 47 grant recipients. The Front Range Waste Diversion Enterprise says its mission is to provide grants and technical assistance to support projects that create, advance or expand recycling, compost collection, material processing, remanufacturing or waste diversion policy on the Front Range, with the goal of reducing the amount of waste going to Colorado landfills.  

“Together, we're creating a future in which every discarded item represents an opportunity for waste diversion, a circular economy and a more sustainable future for Colorado,” Jones says.