Extended Producer Responsibility Webinar Series
In This Section
In 2022, the Colorado Legislature passed legislation to establish a statewide program which will be financed and operated by the producers of consumer products to provide access for recycling services for every residence in Colorado at no financial cost to residents or local governments. For the past 18 months, the program roll-out has advanced rapidly and the plan to execute the program is under development. While we await the release of the draft program plan, there are opportunities for local governments to understand the policy, develop strategies to prepare for implementation, and work with peers on best practices and regional collaboration. To that end, the Colorado Municipal League (CML) is partnering with Recycle Colorado to offer a webinar learning series to provide the latest information, options to prepare local communities, and best practices to optimize local systems.
2025 EPR Preparation for Local Governments Webinar Series
CML will host a virtual monthly series, January through July 2025, of virtual session created by Recycle Colorado to cover specific topics and case
studies designed to help local governments understand and prepare for the
implementation of the EPR program in 2026 and beyond.
These sessions are free to members of CML and Recycle Colorado; registration is required to attend. Participate in as many of the sessions as you wish; however, please register for each session separately.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link the day before each the webinar for which they have registered. Additionally, recorded webinars and presentation materials will be made available to those registered after each session.
Register to attend any or all of these upcoming sessions:
EPR and The State
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 - 2 p.m. | Register Today
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment oversees the EPR program. EPR Program Manager Mellik Gorton will provide updates from the Department, resources available to communities, and an overview of how the program will impact local governments.
Also, consider joining us for our session if you are registered to attend CML's Annual Conference in Breckenridge!
Extended Producer Responsibility for Local Governments:
What You Need to Know & Resources Available
Thursday, June 26, 2025 - 3-4 p.m. | Check the conference app for room location.
A
panel of waste reduction experts (Liz
Chapman - Recycle Colorado, Alicia Archibald, Community Recycling
Coordinator, City of Steamboat Springs; Mellik Gorton, Producer
Responsibility Lead, State of Colorado; Caroline Mitchell, Lead
Specialist, Waste Reduction and Recycling, City of Fort Collins and
Rob Writz- Circular Action Alliance) will introduce the program
and its key elements. Learn how the program could double
Colorado’s recycling rate by 2035. Explore successful strategies for public outreach and
citizen engagement in recycling with replicable examples. Use the program plan to outline how municipalities can benefit from
statewide infrastructure and education funding. Discuss key barriers and explore
solutions within the context of the EPR program. Explore Policy Tools, Partnerships, and Financial Models.
Previous Webinar Sessions
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) 101 hosted on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025
Where to begin? This
session will provide an EPR 101 overview, present a case study of a
citizen survey and outreach, how to get a baseline assessment of your
community’s streams and populations, and how to make a plan from there.
Presentation & Materials
Collection Models hosted on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025
What are the options?
Communities have options when seeking to improve waste diversion. This
session will feature experts on the collection options available to
communities and the pros and cons of each.
Presentation & Materials
End-Markets - The Whole Point of Recycling hosted on Thursday, March 27, 2025
Where do the materials go? The
EPR law requires that the materials collected go to a responsible
end-market to make new products. In this session, you will learn how
that works and the opportunities for communities in end-markets.
Presentation & Materials
Partnership Models - You are not alone!
Wednesday, April 23, 2025 - 2 p.m. | Register Today (Registrations can be taken until 1:30 p.m.)
Successful
partnerships can lead to real results is waste diversion and economic
development around circularity. In this session, we will explore
partnership opportunities with other jurisdictions, non-profits, and
private sector partners to improve diversion systems.
Presentation & Materials
Local Policy Dive
Thursday, May 22, 2025 - 2 p.m. | Register Today
Where does policy fit into EPR?
Colorado’s EPR program may create a host of policy options and
opportunities for communities to consider to take full advantage of the
system. Experts in this session will outline some diversion-specific
policy options to enhance the EPR program.
Presentation & Materials
Questions?
If you have any questions or would like to discuss these sessions in advance, please contact Jenifer Freeman at jfreeman@constellationstrategies.net or Denise White, CML engagement and communications manager at dwhite@cml.org.