On December 9, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) approved Circular Action Alliance’s five-year Program Plan to administer Colorado’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) law as the designated producer responsibility organization for packaging and paper. Under the state’s EPR program, covered producers are required to join a producer responsibility organization, through which they fund and manage the end-of-life of covered materials, including collection, processing, and recycling or composting.
Circular Action Alliance’s plan aims to expand access to convenient recycling services for up to 700,000 households, to nearly double the recycling rate of paper and packaging, and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3 million metric tons, using a phased approach. Read the Program Plan for packaging and paper here and learn more about CDPHE’s EPR program here.
The following day, CDPHE’s Water Quality Control Commission approved a set of new rules designed to protect streams and wetlands, regulating construction, homebuilding, and farming activities that disturb surface waters. The new requirements, which aim to protect natural resources while providing flexibility for businesses, were developed in response to bipartisan HB 1379, which required CDPHE to implement a dredge-and-fill authorization program. The rules also help protect certain wetlands and ephemeral and intermittent streams that lost federal Clean Water Act protections in Sackett v. EPA. Final action on the new regulations is expected at the Commission’s February 2026 meeting, after which Colorado will formally launch its state dredge-and-fill permitting program.
