Skip to Main Content

COLORADO - EPR APPLICATION ANNOUNCEMENT AND FMI WEBINAR ON EPR PACKAGING - LESSONS LEARNED FROM CANADA

    < Back to Newsletters

     

    As you all are aware Colorado passed a version of EPR that was widely supported by both the environmental community and folks such as the American Beverage Association.   

    Recently the application for the Board positions were opened for Colorado.

     

    Members of the Board include:

     

    Municipality (or city and county)

    ● County

    ● Non-Front Range local government

    ● Materials recovery facility

    ● Recyclable materials hauler

    ●Compost facility

    ● Environmental or community based non-profit

    ● Packaging supplier (not a producer)

    ● Manufacturer of recycled paper products (not a producer)

    ● Trade association /chamber of commerce

    ● Retailers association

    ● Environmental justice group

    ● Solid waste landfill with recycling

     

    I would like to know if our membership thinks this is important enough for our joint trade group to apply.

     

    We wanted to remind you that our  digital seminar for FMI members – EPR Packaging – Lessons Learned from Canada – is tomorrow, Oct. 12 at 4:00pm Eastern. 

    For this webinar, FMI will be joined by Alain Brandon, Vice President, Sustainability, Social Impact and Government Relations for Loblaw Companies, a Canadian retailer. He will discuss the EPR Packaging experience in Canada, including the lessons he has learned during his decade implementing various packaging EPR programs and key takeaways for U.S. retailers. You can register here, and please let me know if you have any questions. I hope you can join us!

    https://www.fmi.org/forms/meeting/Microsite/EPR_Packaging_Lessions

    On June 3rd, 2022, the Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act, House Bill 22-1355 was signed into law. 

    HB 22-1355 sets up a Producer Responsibility program that requires companies that sell products in packaging, paper products, and food serviceware to fund a statewide recycling system to recycle those materials. These companies will form an independent non-profit organization, called a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), to coordinate, fund, and manage this statewide recycling system.

    • Companies will pay membership dues to the PRO based on the amount and type of packaging they sell in Colorado. 
    • The PRO will create one consistent statewide list of what can be recycled, and then the PRO will pay private companies and local governments to operate recycling collection and processing programs. 
    • The PRO will cover 100% of the costs of recycling, including consumer education and government oversight of the program. 
    • Colorado’s Department of Public Health and the Environment will oversee the PRO. 
    • An advisory board will be established, composed of local governments, recycling companies, nonprofits and other key stakeholders, to help the state oversee the program and to ensure the PRO system meets the needs of local Colorado communities and businesses.

    This program will

    • Provide funding mechanisms for recycling services and infrastructure across the state.
    • Increase recycling access in Colorado, including apartments and rural areas. 
    • Save local governments money by reimbursing their costs to run their recycling programs.
    • Support Colorado businesses by creating a more resilient domestic supply of raw material to make new products.
    • Encourage producers to design and manage covered materials to prevent/minimize their negative environmental, social, economic and health impacts.

    Advisory Board

    The producer responsibility program for statewide recycling advisory board will consist of thirteen voting board members and two non-voting board members from the Department and Producer Responsibility Organization. 

    The advisory board will be appointed by Dec. 31, 2022. 

    Advisory board announcement

    Advisory board application form
    Download and save to your computer before filling out the form.

    Documents

    Frequently asked questions and answers- Producer Responsibility Program

    Implementation Timeline (subject to change)

    House Bill 22-1355
    State legislation that authorizes the EPR program.

    Producer Responsibility Literature Review and Policy Recommendations - CDPHE July 2021


    For updates on this program, please sign up by sending an email to cdphe.hmrecycling@state.co.us, subject line "producer responsibility contact list."

    Contact

    Darla Arians
    Producer Responsibility Lead
    (720) 263-1219
    darla.arians@state.co.us