On Thursday, March 31, House Bill 22-1355: Producer Responsibility Program For Recycling was introduced to the Colorado Legislature. Sponsored by Representative Lisa Cutter, Senator Kevin Priola, and Senator Julie Gonzales, this innovative bill will help improve recycling throughout the state, reduce unnecessary packaging, and build more resilient domestic supply chains through a Producer Responsibility policy for containers, packaging, and paper.

The introduction of this bill is the culmination of efforts by Eco-Cycle, legislators, and partners to develop a policy that makes it easy for all Coloradans to recycle more plastic, aluminum, glass, cardboard, and printed paper. The bill requires large producers of packaging to help fund local recycling programs, supporting needed recycling infrastructure and services throughout the state, while incentivizing producers to create more sustainable packaging. For more information about Producer Responsibility for Colorado, please visit recyclingforallcoloradans.org.

There is also a second bill of interest to help keep Colorado green. House Bill 22-1159 will create a Circular Economy Development Center. This bill has the Governor’s support and is sponsored by Representative Lisa Cutter and Senator Kevin Priola. The bill has passed the house and was introduced in the Senate in March and has been referred to the Finance Committee in the Senate.