STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO-December 15, 2025-As the year ends, Steamboat Springs’ Community Recycling Coordinator, Alicia Archibald, is feeling especially grateful.
“I am so excited for all the programs launched throughout the region in city facilities and the community at large,” said Archibald. “I attribute all these successes to ‘Team Us,’ a term of endearment for everyone working to Spur Change and making a difference across the Yampa Valley.”
Throughout 2025, the City of Steamboat Springs and Routt County celebrated major strides in waste diversion and circular economy efforts. This year, the region:
- Launched a baling twine recycling program with Twine Recycling
Thank you to Apex Waste Solutions. - Held two successful yard waste drop-off events, with a plan for annual continuation
Thank you Apex Waste Solutions, Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council, and Steamboat Resort. - Secured grant funding to install recycling across Haymaker Golf Course
Thank you Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise. - Launched a flexible film drop-off program
Thank you Circular Economy Development Center, Steamboat Resort, Western Resilience Center, and all participating businesses. - Achieved 85% commercial compliance with the commercial recycling ordinance
Thank you Apex and the entire commercial sector. - Created and distributed new educational materials, including battery and flexible-film recycling flyers, and a comprehensive Recycling, Repair, & Drop-Off Guide
Thank you CivicSpark Fellowship Program. - Began planning for an expanded hard-to-recycle material drop-off center
Thank you Apex Waste Solutions, Western Resilience Center, Routt County, and the Climate Action Collaborative’s Waste Working Group. - Celebrated the approval of Colorado’s new statewide producer responsibility programs for packaging, paper, and lubricant containers—transformational systems that shift recycling costs from residents to producers.
A Statewide Milestone
Colorado officially approved the final Producer Responsibility Program Plan for Packaging and Paper, a landmark achievement led by Circular Action Alliance in collaboration with producers, local governments, businesses, nonprofits, recyclers, and community partners. This statewide effort marks a major step toward modernizing recycling systems and creating a more circular economy.
The program is projected to more than double Colorado’s recycling rate for packaging and paper by 2035 by expanding access, infrastructure, and system efficiency. Complementing this progress, the Interchange360 lubricant packaging program also earned approval, providing a unified path for increased circularity. Learn more about both initiatives to see how they will shape Colorado’s recycling future.
As Steamboat Springs wraps up a highly productive year, Archibald says the community’s dedication is what drives real progress: “This work only happens because we do it together. Team Us continues to deliver.”
-WeServeTheCity-
Contact
Email Alicia Archibald, Community Recycling Coordinator, or call 719-600-8664
Email Emily Hines, Marketing & Communications Supervisor, or call 970-871-7031
Email Michael Lane, Marketing and Communications Manager, or call 970-871-8220