A $664,000 grant supported program overhaul and landed The Recycling Partnership’s two millionth cart delivery.
Before September 2024, Fort Collins, Colorado’s recycling collection was an open market. Residents had the option to contract for curbside recycling. In a project that stemmed from over a year of community engagement and research, a single-hauler program was introduced and a new contract was in place as of September 30, 2024.
Through a $664,000 grant from The Recycling Partnership, with support from the American Beverage Association’s “Every Bottle Back” initiative and the Colorado Beverage Association, over 35,000 households received a new recycling cart. The Partnership provided technical assistance, funding to support cart purchases, and education and outreach support.
With Colorado’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program slated to begin implementation in early 2026, Fort Collins’s proactive action to organize and contract for curbside recycling for all single-family households provides a model for other Colorado communities to build a better recycling system.