The award will provide about half of the expected costs for the new MRF, which will increase recycling access for the region’s rural population. | Rarrarorro / Shutterstock
The City of Grand Junction received a nearly $10 million grant to increase recycling access on Colorado’s Western Slope, including construction of a new MRF.
The Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise (C3 Enterprise), part of the state Department of Public Health and Environment, awarded the multi-year $9.8 million grant after a seven-month review of the request, according to a statement.
The city is building a new MRF, expected to cost $18 million to $19 million, to service the region’s rural and underserved areas. One of the biggest barriers to recycling in remote and rural areas is transportation. Early this year, Circular Colorado and the Circular Economy Development Center started the Circular Transportation Network earlier this year to help increase rural access.
Bruin Waste will operate the MRF, which is also supported by the state’s Rural Jump-Start Program for tax credits and grants. C3 Enterprise replaced the Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity and Front Range Waste Diversion programs as of July 2024. The group was established by HB 24-1449 last year, to provide a single statewide program to reduce waste.
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