It’s Kuhl to Recycle: Paging All Recyclers

All Eyes On The Third Week Of November

Texas Recycles Day was created in 1994 and soon after that America Recycles Day was established. This year, Gov. Jared Polis has announced that Colorado Recycles Week will be observed every third week of November. In his official proclamation, the governor declared a commitment to improving statewide waste diversion programs.

You have a right to be cynical and maybe not believe this because Mr. Polis is in fact a politician. BUT, he’s putting his money where his mouth is. In a previous installment of Kuhl to Recycle, I addressed Colorado’s less-than-stellar recycling rates. But there  are also reasons to be hopeful, because the state is moving several initiatives forward including:

The Front Range Waste Diversion (FRWD) Enterprise Fund provides funds to communities to improve waste diversion programs.

The Green Star Schools Program, run by EcoCycle, has improved sustainability programs at over 50 schools.

The End Markets Incentive Bill outlines a comprehensive effort to expand the use of recyclable materials.  It requires our public health and environment department to further educate Coloradans on recycling and it promotes businesses to use recycled content. Importantly, they aim to open a development center to help expand our portfolio of ways to use recycled materials.

Mark Kuhl is an environmental advocate who lives in Park Hill with his family. His handy tips and news about recycling household items appear every month in these pages. A directory of his past columns for recycling everything from paint to Styrofoam to shoes is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/recycling-directory/.