The Haunting Truth About Recycling Rates in Colorado and Beyond

ByBob McCool

Contributed by Eco-Cycle, a non-profit organization based in Boulder County, Colorado, working to innovate, implement, and advocate for local and global Zero Waste solutions to foster a more regenerative, equitable, and climate-resilient future.

It’s almost Halloween—time for ghost stories, haunted houses, and all things spooky. But the truly frightening facts aren’t from the supernatural world at all. They’re hiding in our trash bins. Across the U.S., the recycling rate is only about 35%, and here in Colorado, it’s even worse—at less than 16%. That’s a chilling statistic with very real consequences.

Scary but true: every time we throw something away instead of recycling it, we dig deeper into the earth for more natural resources. We cut down living forests to make new paper and packaging, and we unearth ancient, fossilized life—long-dead trees, algae, and marine organisms turned into oil and gas—to make plastics. It’s like bringing the dead back every day, and the results are haunting our planet.

A Grave Situation: The Toll of Low Recycling Rates

When we don’t recycle, the consequences are downright ghoulish:

  • We weaken our domestic supply of materials. Without strong recycling systems, we rely on imported raw materials, which hurts local economies and limits job creation here at home.
  • We fuel the climate crisis. The way we produce, consume, and dispose of our products, packaging and our food accounts for 42% of all US greenhouse gas emissions.
  • We drain our planet’s resources. Extracting virgin natural resources like trees, minerals, and fossil fuels destroys habitats and perpetuates environmental injustice. Scientists foretell that we’re already in the midst of Earth’s sixth mass extinction.
  • We unleash methane monsters. When sent to the landfill, organic materials like paper, cardboard, food scraps, and yard cuttings release methane, a supercharged greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere in the short term.

Making Things a Little Less Frightening: Colorado’s Path Forward

Fortunately, Colorado is taking steps to make this scary story a little less grim. In 2022, the state passed a groundbreaking policy called Producer Responsibility for Packaging and Paper. When it takes effect in 2026, every community in Colorado will have access to curbside recycling. The best part? Packaging producers—not taxpayers—will fund these services, ensuring that managing waste doesn’t come back to haunt residents.

Local Leaders in Zero Waste: Boulder County Shows the Way

Here in Boulder County, we’re already contenders for “Best Costume” in Recycling and Zero Waste. Many communities have adopted ordinances ensuring that every household—and in some cases, businesses as well—have access to curbside recycling and composting. These programs give our community a real edge in addressing the environmental impacts of waste.

Residents and businesses also have access to multiple Zero Waste facilities that help keep materials out of the landfill:

And if you’re ever haunted by the question of what goes where, Eco-Cycle’s A to Z Recycling Guide (available at ecocycle.org and as a free app) can help you banish confusion for good.

Everything accepted by Eco-Cycle and the Boulder County Recycling Center, operated by Eco-Cycle, is transformed—no magic required—into something new and useful. Together, we can conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and keep our fossilized friends in their bedrock graves where they belong.

Give Eco-Cycle a shout with your Zero Waste questions at 303-444-6634, recycle@ecocycle.org, or check out ecocycle.org.

 

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