Town staff brief Erie council on statewide EPR recycling rollout and local impacts

Erie town staff on Feb. 3 told the council that Colorado's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program will change who pays for recycling and could reduce what some residents currently pay through HOA or hauler contracts. Staff asked council members to help communicate with homeowners associations and residents as the program is rolled out.

The presentation, led by Erica (staff) and Emma Marino, the town's sustainability and water-conservation specialist, reviewed the state law that created the program and how local residents and the town stand to benefit. "Extended producer responsibility or EPR...requires that companies that sell products and packaging to fund a statewide recycling system," Marino said. She noted that "producers first had to register with the state to identify that they were a producer of these materials and then begin to pay dues as a result of the materials that they create." The town identified Circular Action Alliance (CAA) as the producer responsibility organization coordinating statewide implementation.

Staff explained that the program will be phased: residential services are first, with reimbursements and more covered materials phased in over time. Erie's presentation cited 2024 Vtrack data showing municipal solid waste, recycling and organics patterns, and reminded council that an Erie ordinance adopted in March 2020 requires haulers to be licensed through Boulder County, giving the town access to hauler data. Staff said the state-level program may reimburse municipalities and town facilities for covered materials collected at places such as the Erie recycling center.

Town staff gave a practical timeline and funding estimate: they said municipalities may receive about $2 to $3 per household for education and outreach, and that recycling-cost offsets for residents "will begin to be seen mid to late 2026." Emma Marino told the council the reimbursements would cover the recycling share of bills so that, for example, a hypothetical $4 portion of a $10 monthly bill attributable to recycling could be offset by program funds.

Council members pushed on implementation details. Several asked how HOAs or residents will demonstrate what they currently pay for recycling; staff said many HOA-managed contracts bundle recycling into dues and that earlier outreach found wide variation in reported household costs (staff interviews and resident checks showed a range from about $10 to $48 for comparable services). Staff recommended that HOAs calculate the current recycling portion of bundled bills and that the town produce a website cheat-sheet residents can use to ask HOAs or haulers for that information.

Staff also described local rebate and pilot programs: Erie's waste-diversion rebates can help residents start new six-month curbside compost subscriptions (through Wompost/Compost Colorado) or acquire in-home composters, with rebates appearing on the town utility bill. Uptake for backyard-compost rebates was small so far (staff estimated "two or three" users since late 2024), while curbside rebates and hauler reimbursements are expected to be the primary action.

On hauler participation, staff said haulers are not required to participate in the town's programs and that Circular Action Alliance has contacted haulers across the state. Staff provided to CAA the names of Erie's haulers to help coordinate participation, and recommended councils and residents begin discussions with HOAs and haulers now so eligible parties can claim reimbursements when they start to flow.

The presentation closed with a staff pledge to continue monitoring the state rollout, produce clearer website materials and outreach tools, and return with updates. "We will continue to monitor, communicate, and participate in the EPR rollout," staff said. They urged the council to share information with residents and HOAs so people who are eligible for free recycling or rebates can take advantage of the program.

Next steps: staff will draft resident-facing materials, pursue HOA/management contacts to gather current billing data, and report back as the state program firmed up reimbursement schedules.