ECO-CYCLE INC

RECYCLING OF MATERIALS FROM COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL COLLECTIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT. ALSO, EDUCATION OF THE COMMUNITY CONCERNING THE IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING, AND ZERO WASTE AS A CLIMATE SOLUTION. PROCESSED AND MARKETED ROUGHLY 52,000 TONS OF SINGLE-STREAM RECYCLABLE MATERIALS AND MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF HARD-TO RECYCLE MATERIALS FROM COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL SECTORS; COLLECTED RECYCLABLES AND ORGANIC WASTE FROM HUNDREDS OF BOULDER COUNTY BUSINESSES; CONDUCTED OVER 1,500 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS IMPACTING OVER 40,000 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN 3 PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS; EDUCATED OVER 1,000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN BENEFITS OF RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING AND ENGAGED THEM IN OUR COMMUNITY CARBON FARMING CAMPAIGN AND ADOPTION OF STATEWIDE POLICIES TO EXPAND RECYCLING ACCESS AND ENDMARKETS IN COLORADO.ECO-CYCLE LED THE COALITION EFFORT TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF THE FINAL LEGISLATIVE HURDLE FOR PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY FOR PACKAGING RECYCLING IN COLORADO WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE EPR NEEDS ASSESSMENT BY THE JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE, GIVING THE GREEN LIGHT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR THIS TRANSFORMATIONAL POLICY TO EXPAND AND PAY FOR RECYCLING STATEWIDE. ECO-CYCLE ENGAGED IN ZERO WASTE POLICY DISCUSSIONS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AS CO-FOUNDERS OF THE ALLIANCE OF MISSION BASED RECYCLERS (AMBR) AND AS MEMBERS OF THE U.S. PLASTICS PACT TO DRIVE NATIONAL MESSAGING ON HOW TO REBUILD AND EXPAND AUTHENTIC RECYCLING AND REDUCE UNNECESSARY SINGLE-USE PLASTICS.ECO-CYCLE LAUNCHED 6 NEW SCHOOLS INTO OUR GREEN STAR SCHOOLS PROGRAM, WHICH IMPLEMENTS INTEGRATED RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING PROGRAMMING, NOW TOTALING OVER 65 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE RECEIVED NEW FUNDING TO CREATE NEARLY 50 REUSABLE ZERO WASTE EVENT KITS FOR USE AT SCHOOL EVENTS. ECO-CYCLE WORKED WITH LOCAL FARMERS, LANDOWNERS, AND ALLIED GROUPS TO IMPLEMENT ON-FARM COMPOST PILOT PROJECTS TO MAKE AND USE COMPOST, DEMONSTRATING AERATED STATIC PILE TECHNOLOGY, TESTING VALUE-ADDED COMPOST TYPES, AND TRIALING WOOD CHIP COMPOSTING AS A FIRE MITIGATION/RECOVERY TOOL.WE CONTINUED TO SUCCESSFULLY OPERATE THE BOULDER COUNTY RECYCLING CENTER, FURTHER INCREASING WAGES FOR SORTERS AND OPERATORS AND SUPPORTING THE LARGEST RETROFIT IN THE PLANT'S HISTORY WITH THE INSTALLATION OF FIBER LINE OPTICAL SORTING EQUIPMENT. OUR CENTER FOR HARD-TO-RECYCLE MATERIALS WORKED WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF CITIES AND BUSINESSES TO COLLECT MORE HARD-TO-RECYCLE MATERIAL VOLUMES AND TYPES (NOW UP TO 27 DIFFERENT MATERIALS) AND TO CULTIVATE CREATIVE END MARKET SOLUTIONS. ECO-CYCLE SECURED FUNDING TO PURCHASE OUR SECOND ELECTRIC TRUCK FOR RECYCLING COLLECTIONS AS PART OF OUR EFFORT TO DEMONSTRATE THE EFFICACY OF CLEAN TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS IN THE WASTE INDUSTRY. OUR BUSINESS DEPARTMENT SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATED RULE CHANGES BY THE FRONT RANGE'S REGIONAL COMPOSTER, EDUCATING COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS, CREATING A CLEAN COMPOST ROUTE AND DEMONSTRATING THAT QUALITY COMPOST COLLECTIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITH CONCERTED EDUCATION. WE EVOLVED OUR POLYBAG COLLECTION PROJECT FROM A SUCCESSFUL PEARL STREET MALL PILOT TO A GROWING PARTNERSHIP WITH ECOENCLOSE TO SCALE UP RETAIL POLYBAG COLLECTIONS AND TRANSPORTATION TO A REMANUFACTURER TO PURSUE CIRCULAR BAG-TO-BAG RECYCLING.ECO-CYCLE CONTINUED TO INCORPORATE EQUITY INTO OUR WORK BY AGAIN RAISING THE WAGE FLOOR FOR THE LEAST PAID EMPLOYEES IN THE ORGANIZATION, ADDING JUNETEENTH AS A 7TH PAID HOLIDAY FOR ALL STAFF, EXPANDING OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO BECOME A MORE REPRESENTATIVE AND INCLUSIVE ORGANIZATION, INTEGRATING EQUITY ARGUMENTS ABOUT IMPACTS OF PLASTIC PRODUCTION AND DISPOSAL ON FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES IN CAMPAIGN MATERIALS, AND WORKING IN COALITION WITH GREEN LATINOS AND OTHER EQUITY LEADERS TO OPPOSE STATE FUNDING FOR SOLID WASTE INCINERATION AND PLASTICS-TO-FUEL PROJECTS. ECO-CYCLE ALSO INCREASED PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES FOR TITLE 1 SCHOOLS, GAVE MORE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS AND WEBINARS IN SPANISH, AND TRANSLATED OUTREACH MATERIALS SUCH AS ECO-CYCLE'S SUSTAINABLE SERVICEWARE GUIDE INTO SPANISH AND MANDARIN TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES TRANSITION AWAY FROM USING POLYSTYRENE.ECO-CYCLE REINVIGORATED OUR ECO-LEADER PROGRAM AND PUBLIC OUTREACH EFFORTS WITH INCREASED PRESENTATIONS AND WEBINARS, TABLING AT EVENTS, FACILITY TOURS, AND VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT IN EFFORTS LIKE PLANTING TREES WITH THE COOL BOULDER URBAN FORESTRY PROJECT. WE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE NUMEROUS ZERO WASTE TOOLS FOR COLORADO COMMUNITIES INCLUDING PRODUCING A NATIONAL MUNICIPAL BLUEPRINT FOR COMPOST POLICY, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND EDUCATION WITH THE CLOSED LOOP PARTNERS, AND RELEASING OUR ANNUAL 2022 STATE OF COLORADO RECYCLING REPORT WITH COPIRG. FINALLY, ECO-CYLE CONTRACTED WITH NUMEROUS COLORADO TO HELP THEM TAKE THE NEXT STEP ON THEIR ZERO WASTE JOURNEY, INCLUDING FOR EXAMPLE SUPPORTING THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE'S ADOPTION OF A UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE.