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11 18 24 CoPIRG's Danny Katz talks about the current level of recycling in Colorado
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That is my promise to you as the host of the Seven Podcast from the Washington Post. And in that time, I will run down seven stories, everything from the most important headlines to fascinating new information you might miss otherwise. My name is Hannah Jewell, go follow the seven right now, wherever you're listening. And we will get you caught up. So how are we doing in Colorado when it comes to the amount of waste that we generate and how much we're recycling? Joining us now on the KAOA Common Spirit Health Hotline to talk more about it is the Executive Director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, or Copirk. It's Danny Katz. Danny, thank you so much for your time this morning. Thanks for having me. Last week, we had this eighth annual State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado Report. What were some of the biggest takeaways we saw in it this year? The biggest takeaway is that we've actually produced less waste last year than we had in a long, long time. And that's a big deal because our state is still growing. So the fact that we could be a growing state and producing less waste is really important. We all know that the first are when it comes to recycling is actually reduced. So reduced reuse recycling and it looks like Colorado is doing a good job of just not producing the waste in the first place. Danny, what do you attribute that to? That decline. A couple of things. We've seen our state phase out single-use plastic bags when you go to the grocery store. But I think more importantly, I'm seeing more and more people using reusable bottles for placing water bottles or when you go in to get coffee, more and more people are bringing in their own coffee mug that they can just keep reusing. And we're seeing major institutions like Red Rocks is switching over to reusable cups. And that can just save and reduce just a ton of disposable cups. So we're seeing more and more of that. I think we're also seeing a rise of places that can repair your clothes or especially in the last few years, a lot of people I think have been buying used clothing as well. So all of those things add up. So Danny, it really sounds like our state is doing well when it comes to the reduce and the reuse of the three Rs for it. But the recycling piece seems like we're still struggling a little bit. That's correct. Our recycling rate is still very low. It's about 15%. And what that means is only about 15% of the waste we actually put into our trash can is getting diverted into either our recycling stream or our compost stream. And so that's still well below the national average and is one of the worst in the country. Danny, how much of that though is when that story came out? I don't know how long ago it was six months to where we think we're being good stewards and recycling. But the reality is that many of the recycling things when these companies get it end up in the dump anyways, has that hurt to people wanting to try to do the right thing if they realize, well, it's still not going to happen, so what do I put the effort for? Yeah. One of the challenges is we want to think that we're doing the right thing, as you said, and putting things in the right containers, especially the recycling containers, but not everything is recyclable. And sometimes it feels like you need an advanced degree to understand which thing goes in the recycling bin and which thing doesn't. And that can then lead to these stories or things we're putting into the recycling bin are actually not recyclable and they're just getting trash. So for example, glass and aluminum, you can always put that in a recycling bin, but plastic is very challenging. There are a few types of plastic that can get reused a couple of times, but generally plastics aren't that recyclable. And so it's easy to think, okay, this has a little recycling arrow on it, so it must go in the bin. It doesn't always, and so that's where it can be very confusing, and we have to put together different guides that they could use here for people to understand what's recyclable and what isn't. Danny, this report also highlights some cities that are doing better than others when it comes to their recycling rates. What are some of those and what are they doing differently that other cities could possibly mimic? Absolutely. Along the front range, the best cities are the highest recycling rates include Boulder and Loveland and Fort Collins, and when you get up into the mountains, it's Aspen and Durango. And what they do, the biggest thing they do is make sure that everybody in their city has curbside recycling. Surprisingly, a lot of places in our state don't even have that basic service, and so if you don't even have a simple place to put something that's recyclable, then you're not going to be able to recycle. And they also do offer a lot of composting services to about 40% of our waste is compostable. That's organic stuff, like banana peels and apple cores and grass clippings. Danny, I'm wrapping up with you. When we see the good news about this, the reducing factor and some of the other things, is this generational? Is the younger generation better than I'm a Gen X person than somebody my generation or older generations in trying to be mindful and environmental with reducing and recycling? It's hard to say, I think certainly when I talk to my grandparents, they tell me about how they got used out of every little thing in their house. So I don't necessarily think it's generational. I do think you see folks who are older, folks who are younger, who understand the value in the things that we produce, and we want to get as much use of that as possible. So I don't think it's necessarily a generational thing. I think there's people all across the spectrum who understand why produce waste when we don't need to and are pushing back against just countless disposable things that are thrown our way. With the latest on the state of recycling report for our state, executive director of the Colorado public interest research group or Copurg, it's Danny Katz. There's only one feeling like knowing your banker personally, like growing up with a bank you can count on, like being sure what you've earned is safe, secure, and local. There's only one feeling like knowing you're supporting your community. You deserve more from a bank. You deserve an institution that stood strong for generations. Bank of Colorado, there's only one. Over FDIC. No music, no movies, no entertainment. 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