{"id":5380,"date":"2025-09-23T15:40:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T21:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/?p=5380"},"modified":"2025-09-23T17:49:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T23:49:22","slug":"colorado-stands-with-communities-stops-industrys-false-recycling-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/colorado-stands-with-communities-stops-industrys-false-recycling-claims\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Stands with Communities, Stops Industry\u2019s False Recycling Claims"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DENVER<\/strong> \u2014 In a groundbreaking new decision released last week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) took a strong stance against a loophole in the Producer Responsibility plan (mandated by HB22-1355) that could have allowed controversial 'free allocation' mass balance methods for measuring and tracking recycled content. This deceptive and unverifiable approach\u2014promoted by some in the plastics industry\u2014would have enabled companies to overstate their recycled content claims. By rejecting this greenwashing loophole, Colorado is ensuring that no plastics can be turned into fuel through any means and be counted as 'recycled' within the state. CDPHE\u2019s wise decision is also preventing the creation of an unlevel playing field based on inflated and misleading figures. The decision is a pivotal victory for climate and environmental justice communities, environmental and community groups, and everyday Coloradans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As explained in a recently released letter<\/a> describing its position, CDPHE \u201cdetermined that it is not appropriate to use the mass balance credit method with free allocation - fuel exclusion when calculating [Post-consumer Recycled Content] PCR content\u201d as it \u201cdoes not verify the actual PCR content contained within a material\u201d in the Producer Responsibility for Paper and Packaging program (HB 22-1355). This momentous Colorado decision can be an example for other states and countries to disallow \u2018free allocation\u2019 mass balance accounting \u2014 a type of greenwashing accounting method and false advertising corporations use to increase their profit margins and mislead consumers about the actual recycled content of the products they purchase.

The Colorado State Advisory Board deliberated for months over the question of whether to allow this controversial accounting method, ultimately issuing a statement of concern. CDPHE subsequently made an official determination that \"free allocation\" isn't compliant with state law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are elated by this decision to remove greenwashing from recycling methods. All communities must be protected from hazardous and toxic industries that pollute our environment,\u201d said Brian Loma, Hazardous Materials and Waste Diversion Advocate at GreenLatinos Colorado<\/strong>. \u201cGreenLatinos, along with our partner organizations, are excited to celebrate this significant decision by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and hope that this decision will have a positive impact on communities nationwide and around the world. We continue to do everything we can to educate our members, partners, and other consumers about the dangers corporations cause when intentionally using greenwashing methods to deceive consumers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Colorado just took an important step towards ending a little-known but highly consequential corporate greenwashing scheme for recycled plastic. While there is still more that needs to be done, communities and consumers throughout the state will breathe easier because of this decision,\u201d said Ren\u00e9e Sharp, Director of Plastics and Petrochemical Advocacy, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People have an understanding of what recycling plastic looks like and what recycled content means. Free allocation mass balance uses opaque accounting methods that mislead consumers,\u201d said Jessica Roff, Plastics and Petrochemicals Program Manager at GAIA<\/strong>. \u201cColorado listened to environmental justice groups, residents, and experts, and made the right decision to stop industry from using this method of greenwashing harmful practices that are not actually recycling. This is a great first step, and we hope other municipalities will follow suit and then all will keep improving.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a mission-based recycling organization, we see this decision as a win for transparent and reliable recycling. The public made it clear that unverifiable accounting practices have no place in our system. By rejecting these approaches, the State helps ensure that Colorado\u2019s recycling system remains something people can trust,\u201d said Rachel Setzke, Senior Policy Advisor at Eco-Cycle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was thrilled with this important decision by CDPHE,\u201d said State Senator Lisa Cutter, sponsor of HB22-1355<\/strong>. \u201cBurning plastics for fuel is an inefficient and unproven method of recycling plastics, exposing the communities where these plants are located to extremely hazardous air quality. We must not leave the door open for the continued perpetuation of these toxic plastics, and this is a great step in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

###<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About GreenLatinos<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GreenLatinos (NOTE: GreenLatinos is ONE WORD) is an active comunidad of Latino\/a\/e leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Eco-Cycle<\/strong>
Founded in 1976, Eco-Cycle is one of the nation\u2019s oldest and largest nonprofit recyclers and advocates for Zero Waste solutions, and is a founding member of the Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling (AMBR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About GAIA<\/strong>
The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) is a member-based, environmental justice network working at the intersection of waste, climate, and justice. In the United States and Canada, GAIA supports grassroots organizations that advance zero waste solutions, challenge the plastics and petrochemical industries, reduce methane emissions, and promote safe, sustainable practices for electric vehicle battery production and recycling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DENVER \u2014 In a groundbreaking new decision released last week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) took a strong stance against a loophole in the Producer Responsibility plan (mandated by HB22-1355) that could have allowed controversial 'free allocation' mass balance methods for measuring and tracking recycled content. This deceptive and unverifiable approach\u2014promoted by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1527,"featured_media":5388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[74,103],"federal_programs":[123],"state_region":[117],"class_list":["post-5380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","tag-press-releases","tag-water-equity-and-ocean","federal_programs-water-equity-and-ocean","state_region-co"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1527"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5380"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5389,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5380\/revisions\/5389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5380"},{"taxonomy":"federal_programs","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/federal_programs?post=5380"},{"taxonomy":"state_region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenlatinos.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/state_region?post=5380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}