Momentum Recycling Opens First Bottle-to-Bottle Glass Recycling Plant in Colorado with New Broomfield Facility

Momentum Recycling is set to open a new glass recycling facility in Colorado next week. This new facility marks the first bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in the state and will be Momentum’s first facility outside of Utah.

“We’re excited to be opening this truly innovative facility, especially in Colorado, a state that has put such a significant focus on strong recycling practices,” President and CEO of Momentum Recycling John Lair said in a statement. “This facility will produce high-quality recycled glass for use by local bottle manufacturers, and help the state of Colorado move towards a goal of zero waste.”

Among those who will be in attendance at the grand opening on February 22nd will be Donna Lynne, Colorado’s lieutenant governor. “We are very fortunate to have Momentum Recycling opening a facility right here in Colorado,” Lynne said in a statement. “It’s a goal of our administration to move Colorado towards zero waste and have better recycling practices and keep Colorado green.”

Momentum Recycling currently recycles glass from communities all around Colorado including Boulder County, Larimer County and Denver County. In addition, Momentum Recycling has partnered with companies such as Waste Management, Eco Cycle, Alpine Disposal, Bestway Recycling, Iron Woman Construction, Owens Illinois and CDPHE — Solid Waste Division, to help move Colorado towards a goal of better recycling practices and zero waste.

In 2013, in the United States, 34 percent of all glass containers were recycled, equivalent to taking 210,000 cars off the road each year. However, these numbers are skewed by the high glass recycling rates in states with container deposit laws. States with container deposit legislation have an average glass container recycling rate of just over 63 percent, while non-deposit states (like Colorado) only reach about 24 percent.

In Colorado, over 320,000 tons of glass bottles and jars were thrown away in 2015, with only 20,000 tons recycled, which means only 6.25 percent of glass bottles and jars were being recycled in Colorado. Momentum Recycling’s Colorado facility will recycle an additional 49,000 tons of bottle glass each year, thus increasing the glass recycling rate in Colorado from 6.25 percent to 21.65 percent.