As the Council-appointed representative to Broomfield’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability (ACES), I had the opportunity to work in our Broomfield Days booth where we had a game involving spinning a wheel, answering a question and winning a small prize. When a young family came up to the booth, the nine-year-old took charge in answering for the family, quickly reciting a long list of recyclable items and impressing us all. Then the parents looked at me and asked, “When will we have curbside recycling available to us in Broomfield?”

Help is on the way for many Coloradans who have been asking the same question for years. In a great example of collaboration between the private sector, local governments, environmental groups and others, HB22-1355 created the Producer Responsibility Program to make it convenient for all Coloradans to recycle by allocating funding to provide it.

Recycling costs are shifted to producers which will pay a fee based on the environmental footprint of their packaging choices. The producer will be incentivized to reduce packaging and use more recyclable materials in order to lower their packaging fee. If the producer chooses more harmful packaging choices, their fees will be higher. The days of corporations externalizing the environmental costs of packaging onto all of us are over, as the program creates a level playing field with consistent rules across the board for all producers (with exemptions for small businesses). Given the current concern with consumer product inflation, it is good to know similar programs have not led to an increase in prices since the improved packaging only costs fractions of a cent per container.

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Businesses across Colorado will benefit since the program will create a more resilient domestic supply of recycled materials to make new products and reduce reliance on imported materials. Broomfield businesses are at the forefront of recycling, including Ball Corporation which reminds us “recycling aluminum cans is good business.” 

The parent I met at Broomfield Days exemplifies many of my constituents who are demanding better recycling options, as shown by extensive stakeholder feedback in developing Broomfield’s January 2022 Zero Waste Plan. According to our waste audit, an estimated 66,000 metric tons of waste was generated in Broomfield in 2020 but only 23% was diverted. That is actually better than Colorado’s dismal rate of only 16%.   

In 2020, Broomfield adopted Zero Waste Goals to increase waste diversion for Broomfield to 50% or better by the year 2025. Unfortunately, Broomfield is not on track to reach this target. The community’s waste diversion rate has remained stagnant since 2020, and multiple efforts are required to increase it. In 2023, City Council directed staff to pursue both a residential recycling ordinance and city-contracted services for residential trash, recycling and composting. Staff will return to council by the second quarter of 2024 for review of the contract and the related residential recycling and composting ordinance.

Given the proper recycling infrastructure, waste diversion can be greatly improved across Colorado. However, many local governments like Broomfield find themselves faced with tough choices as housing needs, aging sewer pipes and sustainability measures compete for scarce funds. It is very important the funding of the Producer Responsibility Program continues to move forward so Colorado’s recycling rate can climb to nearly 50% by 2035, as projected under the law.

The nine-year-old I met at Broomfield Days is ready to educate everyone on what can be recycled. Residents across Colorado are ready to sort and place bins at their curbside. Their local government leaders are preparing infrastructure. Businesses are gearing up to choose environmentally friendly packaging based on clear incentives. Let’s get the Producer Responsibility Program across the finish line in collaboration with all of these groups to make recycling services convenient and accessible to everyone.   

Jean Lim has served on the Broomfield City Council since 2019. Her strong interest in sustainability initiatives has led her to involvement with the Broomfield Advisory Committee on Sustainability (ACES) and Colorado Communities for Climate Action (CC4CA).