State Sen. Kevin Priola had his recycling epiphany while staring at an empty pizza box. The grease stains on the lid spelled it out for the Henderson Republican: Colorado recycles only about 15% of its waste because recycling is too hard. Even a dedicated recycler like Priola was surprised to learn that cardboard with food […]
Rep. Lisa Cutter
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government
As “forever chemical” concerns mount, Colorado lawmakers move to ban product sales
The sale of many products containing the dangerous “forever chemicals” known as PFAS would be banned in Colorado as early as 2024, under legislation to be introduced this week and backed by a host of consumer and environmental groups. Toxic PFAS chemicals, used as lubricants and repellants in products ranging from firefighting foam to clothing […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News
Colorado has a dismal recycling rate. Could a fee on manufacturers turn things around?
In Boulder, where every resident automatically receives access to recycling and composting services, more than half of the city’s waste is diverted from landfills. But in many Colorado cities and towns, residents who want to recycle must pay extra, or make a trip to recycling centers. The discrepancy between the relative ease of recycling in […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Colorado House Democrats return to the Capitol with a message to the GOP
Most people don’t know who their legislator is, and we’re OK with that. But, many people also don’t truly understand what we do, and we’re definitely not OK with that. While some people urged us to get back to work during the stay-at-home phase of the pandemic, the truth is we never stopped working. We’ve […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: In these coronavirus times, civility is more important than ever
I’ve been reflecting on the concept of civility a great deal lately. The topic is not new to me — I was a professional communicator for 25 years before becoming a state legislator, so I’ve always been tuned into how we communicate with one another, and how it can impact our culture and collaborative problem […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics and Government
Will 2020 be the year Colorado bans plastic bags, Styrofoam and other single-use plastics?
The Town of Avon did something daring in January: It banned expanded polystyrene food containers, a.k.a. Styrofoam. The move made the town the first community in Colorado to forbid such take-out food containers, which don’t do well in microwaves — or with trash recyclers. But it also put them at odds with an obscure state […]