Title:

Colorado's Unique Approach to Recycling: Extended Producer Responsibility 

Speaker: 

Deborah Nelson, Circular Action Alliance Colorado

Presentation Summary

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy that makes manufacturers responsible for managing their products after consumers finish using them. Come learn about the work of Circular Action Alliance as Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Organization, and the recycling services taking shape across Colorado as local governments and industry seek reimbursement for covered recycling services.  

Presenter Bio

Deborah Nelson serves as Circular Action Alliance Colorado’s EPR Reporting Manager. Deborah is a licensed attorney who has dedicated her career in service to the State of Colorado.  She brings twenty plus years of experience working in operations, legal and regulatory affairs, government relations, public policy, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to joining CAA, Deborah worked at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Along with serving on the Advisory Board, Deborah is a non-voting attorney volunteer on the Colorado legislature’s Statutory Revision Committee. 

More information on the EPR:

n 2022, Governor Polis signed the Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act into law, which directed CDPHE to establish a program requiring companies that sell packaging and paper products to fund a statewide recycling system for those materials. These companies formed an independent non-profit organization, called a Producer Responsibility Organization, to coordinate, fund, and manage this statewide recycling system. CDPHE appointed Circular Action Alliance as the designated Producer Responsibility Organization in May 2023. this industry-funded and industry-run program shifts the cost of recycling from residents and local governments to the companies that produce and sell packaging. Additionally, it creates incentives for companies to design packaging that is more recyclable and reusable.