Ever wonder what happens to your recyclable material? Understanding how material is recycled illuminates what works well in the recycling system and where improvements, investments, and policy changes are needed to guide us toward a circular economy and a Zero Waste society.

Governor Jared Polis signed into law a statewide Extended Producer Responsibility policy, making Colorado the third in the nation to pass this visionary

While using recycled plastic has limitations and challenges, when it’s done right, it reduces the harm of disposal and extraction of fossil fuels, and can offer significant social and environmental benefits compared to using virgin plastic resin. Much like electric cars and solar panels, recycling is a positive environmental solution, but it is not impact-free. It moves us in the right direction but has some trade-offs, and we can work to reduce those impacts while promoting the full suite of solutions to reduce plastic production and waste.