Picking through what’s left behind by high-season tourists will help towns in San Miguel County figure out how to change what people toss and why
trash
Posted inEnvironment
Denver recycling already struggling before major strain of expansion, audit says
City Auditor cites major staffing gaps, aging truck fleet and other problems he says threaten rollout of pay-as-you-throw waste plan.
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Get ready for plastic and paper bag fees in Colorado — and say goodbye to styrofoam
Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday sent Gov. Jared Polis House Bill 1162, which would establish a fee for single-use products, like plastic and paper grocery bags, and let retailers keep some of the proceeds. The bill would also ban the use of styrofoam by restaurants starting in 2024. The measure has long been a priority of […]
Posted inColoradans, News
I just spent a year picking up bottles. Here’s what I learned.
We can do better, Colorado. In fact, I just spent a year doing exactly that. Deb and I try to go for a jog most days. We once called these outings a run, but jogging is a more accurate description as the years roll past and our pace slows. It helps clear my head, and […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News
Front Range residents tossed out 28% more trash than their rural Colorado neighbors last year
Recycling is down in Colorado while the amount of trash produced is up. But don’t blame it on COVID-19 and the numerous to-go containers Coloradans used to patronize local restaurants and businesses in the pandemic. The most recent data is from 2019, months before the first coronavirus case in the state was confirmed. According to […]
Posted inEnvironment, News
What happens when Colorado stays home? Lots of residential trash, for one thing.
In the past five weeks, Colorado residents have stocked up on everything from food to toilet paper. They’ve shifted their domestic habits to order takeout in support of local restaurants. They’ve gone online to save their consumer muscles from atrophy. The stay-at-home restrictions handed down from Gov. Jared Polis in mid-March have certainly scaled back […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News
Most used wind turbine blades end up in landfills. Colorado is part of the push to make the industry greener.
STERLING — Look north from a crest of the Logan County landfill and the wind turbines on the horizon appear like tiny pinwheels slicing bitter February gusts into a renewable and ever-larger share of Colorado’s electric power. Now gaze downward, into the chasm gradually filling with a combination of loose dirt, garbage and plastic bags […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News
Colorado’s recycling rate improves to 17.2%, but we’re producing more trash than ever
Colorado’s recycling rate has dramatically improved — but read this with a giant asterisk. We’re now at 17.2% for 2018, an increase from the prior year’s 12%, according to the latest “State of Recycling in Colorado” report produced by Eco-Cycle and the Colorado Public Interest Research Group. The difference was in how household recycling was […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News
Colorado has two years to hit its 28% recycling goal. A new report shows we’re nowhere close.
With all the campaigns and eco-guilt heaped on Coloradans to recycle, the state just released new data showing that we’re still not where we want to be. The state’s recycling rate for 2018 landed at 17.2%, which is below the prior year’s 20.5%. But before anyone gets all judgy, the state’s Department of Public Health […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News
Colorado trash companies invest millions to speed up recycling. Now they just need more people to recycle.
Alpine Waste & Recycling shut down its Denver recycling facility for a month to retrofit the plant with new technology and equipment. When it reopened in the middle of March, the $2.5 million investment proved to be 33 percent faster at sorting paper from cardboard, aluminum cans from yogurt containers and juice cartons from plastic-lined […]