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Business plan development | Financial resources | Policy | Material and diversion data | Waste composition studies | Infrastructure | Industry and market resources | Specifications and standards | Trade organizations | NextCycle initiatives in other states
Top quick read resources
- Statewide Solid Waste Management Data and Reports – Annual solid waste data, including diversion totals from 2007-2021. Includes residential, commercial, and industrial diversion.
- Starting a Business FAQs - Simplified FAQs for starting a business in Colorado.
- Alternative Funding - Non-traditional funding sources from SBDC.
- Tax Exemption for Recyclers - How to claim tax exemption for machinery and equipment used for remanufacturing and recycling.
- Recycle Colorado - Statewide recycling and composting trade organization. Information on recycling related policy, grants and programs (Formerly Colorado Association For Recycling).
Business plan development
Help with understanding the logistics of starting, owning, and operating a business in Colorado. This section provides resources such as Colorado taxes, employer responsibilities, and liability insurance information.
- Colorado Business Resource Book - Comprehensive guide to starting and maintaining a business in Colorado.
- Small Business Navigator - Recommends Colorado resources based on input from user on stage of business, type of assistance needed, and geography.
- Community-Based Consulting - 15 community-based full-time centers and over 70 part-time centers that offer free one-on-one business consulting.
- Starting a Business FAQs - Simplified FAQs for starting a business in Colorado.
- New Business Checklist - Colorado specific new business checklist.
- BLS Business Costs - Business costs including producer price index, employment cost trends, employee benefits, import/export prices, and unit labor costs.
- Transportation Economic Indicators - Details transportation’s impact on the economy, including cost of transportation for producers and purchasers.
- U.S. Small Business Administration - Federal agency that assists, counsels, and protects the interests of small businesses.
- Colorado Economic Outlook - From Colorado Leeds Business school, overview of Colorado’s economic, employment and population profile.
- OEDIT’s Annual Report - Reviews funding, business development, and programs implemented.
Financial resources
Resources for alternative or additional funding mechanisms for businesses including governmental state and local grants, lending, venture capital and other funding sources.
- Front Range Waste Diversion Program (FRWD) - Grant program for Front Range diversion projects.
- Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity Program (RREO) - Grant program for diversion projects across Colorado.
- Alternative Funding - Non-traditional funding sources.
- Recycle Colorado List of Grants - Funding grants and programs related to solid waste management.
- Venture Capital Authority – The OEDIT managed Venture Capital Authority (VCA) supports access to venture capital for Colorado's entrepreneurs and startup businesses.
- Rockies Venture Club - Angel investing group dedicated to accelerating economic development and connecting investors and entrepreneurs.
- Colorado Impact Fund – Denver-based venture capital group investing in the community.
- Startup Accelerators - List of startup accelerators in Colorado that can help with early-stage companies via financing and mentorship.
- Venture Capital - List of top 100 venture capitalists.
- Sustainability Focused Venture Capital- List of sustainability-focused venture capital groups in the US and Europe.
- Closed Loop Fund - Closed Loop Partners has a fund that invests in circular supply chains across the system, including processing and manufacturing.
- DOLA Grants - Department of Local Affairs grants for rural economic development and community services and development.
- EPA Grants - EPA grant programs and funding opportunities, including Small Business Innovation Research, and People, Prosperity and the Planet (for university students).
- Employer Tax Credits/Incentives - Tax credits and incentives for employers in Colorado.
Policy
Key state, county and local diversion ordinances, regulations that promote / inhibit recycling, and Colorado’s solid waste master plan.
- Colorado’s Solid Waste Plan - Colorado’s 2016 integrated solid waste and materials management plan.
- Colorado’s Organics Management Plan - Colorado’s 2022 statewide organics management plan.
- Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Plan - Frequently asked questions about House Bill 22-1355, the Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act.
- Solid waste permitting - Information about solid waste permitting, registrations, and certifications.
- Solid Waste Facility Regulations - Regulations for recycling facilities / MRFs are in section 8, and those pertaining to composting facilities are in section 14.
- Current Colorado Recycling Legislation - Updates on bills and state policies.
- Tax Exemption for Recyclers - How to claim tax exemption for machinery and equipment used for remanufacturing and recycling.
- Sales and Use Tax Exemption for Recycling Equipment - Outlines the SB16-124 exemption of sales and use tax on equipment used for re-manufacturing.
- Electronic Waste Disposal Ban - Overview of electronics banned from being disposed of in Colorado landfills and resources.
- Paint Stewardship and Recycling - Colorado has a stewardship program with a fee on new paint sales going to collection of old and/or unused paint and has a manufacturers stewardship that manages collection.
Material and diversion data
- Statewide Solid Waste Management Data and Reports - Annual solid waste diversion totals from 2007-2022. Includes residential, commercial, and industrial diversion.
- State of Recycling in Colorado - 2021 report from Eco-Cycle summarizes Colorado’s recycling goals and compares cities/counties recycling rates.
- Denver Recycling Report - 2016 CoPIRG report featuring Denver-specific analysis of current materials management system and recommendations for Denver residents and the city.
- Denver Sustainable Resource Management Plan - Denver’s 2022 update to its 2010 Solid Waste Master Plan.
Waste composition studies
- Boulder County - 2019 Boulder County residential, ICI (industrial, commercial, institutional), and C&D waste composition study.
- Grand County - 2016 Grand County waste diversion study.
- Larimer County - 2016 Larimer County residential, commercial, self-haul, and C&D waste composition study.
- Northwest Colorado - 2018 waste composition for Eagle, Garfield, Rio Blanco, Routt, and Moffat Counties.
- Pitkin County - 2016 Pitkin County waste diversion study.
- Pueblo County - 2017 Pueblo County residential and commercial waste composition.
- Southwest Colorado - 2015 waste composition study for Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, and San Juan Counties, and Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Tribes.
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Western Colorado – 2018 waste composition study for Mesa, Delta, Montrose, and Gunnison Counties.
Infrastructure
Colorado’s current recycling and disposal infrastructure with maps of landfills, transfer stations, compost processors, and materials recovery facilities as well as state and regional end markets.
- Recycling and beneficial use - finding a recycler for different materials, recycling grants, and regulations.
- Map of Landfills - Commercial landfills in the state.
- Map of Recycling Centers and Drop-offs - For general recyclable materials.
- Map of Electronic Recyclers - Recycling centers for electronics.
- Manufacturers Map - From Manufacturer's Edge, map that shows manufacturers and what they produce.
- State Hub and Spoke Map - Statewide Hub and Spoke map.
- Solid waste and materials management sites and facilities.
- Small landfills and rural community resources.
- Electronics and computer waste.
- Composting.
- Materials prohibited from landfill disposal.
Industry and market resources
Recycling/composting related trade organizations and coalitions and recycling business information such as bale specifications, technical documents/guidelines, and highlights to recycling market reports.
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Closing the Material Loop: How Innovators from the Public and Private Sector are Creating Value from Waste – Shows 20 examples of real-world innovators within the circular economy, including case studies and interviews from people at the forefront of this industry.
- 2019 Recycling Industry Report - Snapshot of recycling industry in the US, including commodity values, associated jobs, and economic activity.
- Economic Study of Recycling in Colorado - 2014 report on the economic impact of the recycling, remanufacturing, and reuse industry in Colorado.
- Projects and Publications on Plastics - Market insights for plastics.
- Waste Tire Market Study - In depth review of the waste tire market opportunities in Colorado.
Specifications and standards
- Plastic Bale Specifications - Includes size and ‘allowables’ for PE, PET, and PS resins from APR.
- Compostable Product Standards - BPI is a non-profit that certifies ASTM standards for compostable products.
Trade organizations
- AFPA - American Forest and Paper Association
- APR - The Association for Plastic Recyclers
- CAMA - Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Association
- Colorado SWANA - Rocky Mountain Chapter of Solid Waste Association of North America
- CDRA - Construction and Demolition Recycling Association
- BioCycle - Organics trade organization / publications
- Manufacturer’s Edge - Colorado chapter of Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Network
- National Recycling Coalition (NRC) - Non-profit group focused on promotion and enhancement of recycling in the US.
- ISRI - Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
- SMART - Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles
- SRI - Steel Recycling Institute
- Recycle Colorado - Recycle Colorado (formerly Colorado Association for Recycling) is a non-profit dedicated to advancing recycling and composting infrastructure, end markets, and state and local policies.
- USCC - US Composting Council.
NextCycle initiatives in other states
- NextCycle Michigan - Initiative by Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
- NextCycle Washington - Initiative by the State of Washington’s Department of Ecology, King County, Seattle Public Utilities, Washington State Department of Commerce, and Washington Recycling Development Center.