Monumental Zero Waste Legislation Signed by Governor Polis
Colorado Adopts Bills Establishing Producer Responsibility for
Recycling and a New Circular Economy Development Center!
Junk Free June
In partnership with Erase the Waste CO, SLVEC presents Junk Free June: a 10 day series of tips and challenges to reduce waste in your personal life.
Are you ready to commit to the challenge?
Facts
Did you know the average American produces 4.5 lbs of trash per day?
Did you know that 99% of “stuff” Americans buy is discarded within 6 months?!
If we each reduced our waste by just 1%, we could prevent 200 million tons of waste from going into landfills each year.
Day 1: 5R's of Zero Waste
Zero Waste Pyramid​​
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Refuse what you do not need.
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Reduce what you do need
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Reuse what you consume
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Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse
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Rot (compost) the rest.
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Refusing unnecessary items is the most important step to reducing waste. Think refusing straws at restaurants, removing yourself from catalogs and mailing lists, and purchasing products you truly need.
Day 2: Reuse
Reuse!
Swap disposables for reusables (start using handkerchiefs, refillable bottles, shopping totes, cloth napkins, rags, etc.). You might find that you don’t miss your paper towels, but rather enjoy the savings.
Day 3: Share
Share Equipment
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Get a library card to support the local sharing economy!! Alamosa Public Library has board games, DVDs, and community kits, as well as books. The Alamosa Rec center offers tubes and paddle-boards for rent. Share items with your neighbors such as fishing rods, bikes, lawn mowers, rakes, etc.
Day 4: Buy Big, Buy Less
Buy Big, Buy Less
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Buying frequently used household items like coffee or toilet paper in bulk reduces unnecessary packaging waste and saves trips to the grocery store. Get more tips to reduce your waste at EraseTheWasteCO.org.
Day 5: Turn Down Freebies
Turn Down Freebies
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Turn down freebies from conferences, fairs, and parties. Every time you take one, you create a demand to make more. Do you really need another “free” pen? (Zero Waste Home)
Day 6: Give Experience Gifts
Give Experience Gifts
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Do you have a birthday or wedding celebration coming up? Consider giving a waste free experience gift such as a gift card to a restaurant, concert tickets, or a gift card to hot springs. Or buy them a house plant or if they have a garden, some nice seeds. Also, give stuff that you have and can let go of, like a favorite book, music, or DVD. They’ll love it!
Day 7: Recycle
Recycle​
Drop off your recycling at the Alamosa Recycling Center, SLV Regional Landfill or Saguache County Single Stream roll-off.
Colorado’s recycling rate has improved in recent years, but it is still far behind many other states. There’s so much more we can do and so much to gain! The small actions we take to keep recyclable materials —like glass bottles—out of our landfills actually make a big difference.
When we recycle glass, aluminum, paper, and plastics, we improve both our environment and our economy, since recycling sustains thousands of jobs here in Colorado. So let's keep at it, each doing our part to erase the waste in our beautiful state. (Erase the Waste)
Day 8: Compost
Compost
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Start a compost pile in your backyard. You can use a regular old stationary compost bin to toss your composting scraps into. It’s low maintenance and holds a large capacity.
Day 9: Fight Food Waste
Fight Food Waste
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According to the USDA, did you know that between 30-40% of food is wasted? Planning meals, proper food storage techniques, freezing leftovers, and composting are effective ways to reduce the amount of food and packaging that end up in our landfills.
Day 10: Bring your Own
Bring your Own
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Small decisions like bringing a reusable bag to the grocery store or reusable water bottles and coffee cups to work/school can significantly impact and reduce the amount of waste you create. (Erase the Waste)