Colorado’s newest State of Recycling and Composting Report put Longmont in the spotlight Thursday as state and local leaders gathered at Perks Reclaimed in Commerce City to highlight communities making some of the strongest gains in waste diversion.

The 9th annual report, released during Colorado Recycles Week (Nov. 11-15), outlined where Colorado is improving and how local policy can drive progress.

In addition to Longmont, the communities that were highlighted as making some of the biggest advances last year in the report include Boulder, Denver and Aspen.

Perks Reclaimed, a sustainable demolition and materials-reuse company, hosted the event inside its warehouse stocked with salvaged lumber, flooring, cabinets, sinks and other materials typically discarded in construction debris.Owned by Anna Perks, the company typically sells products to “DIY’-ers,” or people who do home improvement projects themselves instead of hiring professionals, they said during a tour on Thursday.

The State of Recycling and Composting report was produced by Eco-Cycle, one of Colorado’s largest nonprofit recycling organizations, and the CoPIRG (Colorado Public Interest Research Group) Foundation, an environmental advocacy nonprofit organization. It evaluates recycling and composting data statewide and tracks the ways in which regional communities are helping push Colorado forward in its environmental efforts.

Longmont was singled out for strong municipal policies and steep increases in diversion, particularly in the commercial sector.

Nicole Manesh, Zero Waste Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Longmont, said Longmont’s universal recycling ordinance has significantly increased the amount of material the city diverts from the landfill.

“Through tracking our waste diversion data, we can see that the city’s universal recycling ordinance is working. In our commercial diversion data, we saw an increase of 24 (percentage points), up from 35% in 2023 to 59% in 2024,” Manesh said. “This equates to almost 22,000 tons diverted from the landfill.”

Manesh said Longmont was invited to speak at Thursday’s press conference specifically because of that progress. “Eco-Cycle asked all the municipalities for diversion data … and because our rates were so high and we were having a lot of success with our current long-haul programs, we were invited to participate,” she told the Times-Call.

She outlined Longmont’s phased requirements for commercial recycling and organics collection, which are now mandatory for businesses that produce food waste. The final phase, requiring composting for landscaping companies, will take effect in 2029.

Manesh also described financial assistance programs supporting businesses and multifamily properties, bilingual signage, staff training and new partnerships for household reuse and hazardous waste pickup.

Looking ahead, she said Longmont will continue work on its construction and deconstruction policy in the upcoming year. She said Longmont remains on track to reach its goals.

“With hitting the 75% waste diversion by 2030, our commercial sector is definitely on target … and then our larger target goal will be 95% by 2050,” she said.

For Boulder’s part, beginning in fall 2025 and with support from Eco-Cycle, the city began a pilot on-site composting project focused on diverting the invasive weed Eurasian Watermilfoil that is populating Boulder Reservoir and degrading recreation experiences.

With minimal training and readily available equipment, Boulder city staff are producing high-quality compost from material that would otherwise be considered waste, according to the report.

Danny Katz, executive director of CoPIRG, told attendees Colorado is beginning to emerge as a national leader through state action and cities making much-needed progress. “We know we can do better when it comes to recycling, composting and reuse,” Katz said.

“The state of Colorado is moving into a leadership position thanks to actions on a state level and many, many partners in the business community and on a local level.”

Governor Jared Polis said he is looking forward to continuing to work with partners providing accessible recycling services to Coloradans and creating a more sustainable future for the communities they serve.