The state will open an application period this month for a pair of recycling-related grants, with total funding of $4.5 million available.

For the $2 million to be awarded through the Colorado Waste Diversion Grant, projects must increase the diversion of waste from landfills and create jobs. Recycling, composting, repurposing as well as the reduction of waste are all eligible project types for the grant program, which first began in 2007. The money comes via a surcharge on solid waste to Colorado landfills.

Applicants may request between $25,001 and $2 million for their projects. The deadline is March 1 at 3 p.m.

The second grant, worth $2.5 million, is for the Front Range Waste Diversion program. Awards of up to $700,000 are intended to reduce construction and demolition waste from landfills. Materials that are a focus of this effort include gypsum wallboard, treated wood, reclaimed asphalt shingles, carpet tiles and construction plastics.

The deadline to apply is March 15 at 3 p.m.

According to a 2020 report from Eco-Cycle and the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, the state’s recycling rate – which already fell well below the national average – dropped between 2018 and 2019. The analysis found the Front Range shouldered a disproportionate share of the increase in landfill waste, which outpaced population growth in the region.