DENVER (AP) — Colorado is wasting more and recycling less.
From 2018 to 2019, the state’s recycling rate dropped to about 16% from 17%, far below the national average of 35%. That's according to an annual report by Eco-Cycle and the Colorado Public Interest Research Group.
Colorado Public Radio reports that the rate also continues to fall short of the state’s recycling goal of 28 percent landfill diversion by 2021.
Towns and cities say that the cost of recycling is the most significant challenge, along with an unpredictable global market for certain recycled materials, transportation costs and a lack of local and statewide infrastructure.