Colorado Joint Budget Committee approves funding for expanded recycling program

On Thursday, the Colorado Joint Budget Committee approved funding for a program that would expand recycling services across the state. The bill approving the program was signed into law two years ago but the legislation required a study to determine how much the program would cost. 

The Joint Budget Committee approved the funding on Thursday morning. The program will stop hundreds of thousands of tons of valuable materials that can be recycled from ending up in a landfill. 

The Producer Responsibility Program will expand recycling services to about 700,000 more households across Colorado. It will also boost the recycling rate for packaging, including bottles, cans and boxes to 60%.

The program is designed to shift the cost of the recycling system from households to companies.