It’s Kuhl To Recycle: Planet-Saving Ideas

NextCycle Aims To Help Colorado Double Recycling Rate By 2036

By Mark Kuhl

For the GPHN

NextCycle is a program the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment launched in 2018 to boost remanufacturing solutions for recycled materials in Colorado. The program aims to help organizations that have novel recycling ideas by providing support in developing business plans and connecting them with subject matter experts and funders.  (Check it out at nextcyclecolorado.com.)

One company that advanced their recycling processes with the help of NextCycle is Timber Age Systems, a start-up that developed a way to utilize unused local timber in southwest Colorado to produce a durable, sustainable building material.

Another NextCycle beneficiary is 9Fiber, a company that plans to set up shop in Pueblo to capture organic waste produced by Colorado’s hemp and cannabis industries. This company developed a process that converts discarded stems into raw fiber which can be spun and used in a wide range of products.

Nine companies were selected for this calendar year to participate. Let’s wish them luck as this public investment aims to help the state improve its use of natural resources.

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/.