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Does Colorado recycle less than 20% of the waste it produces?

Coloradosun · · 192 words · By Cassis Tingley
open_in_new Read the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/05/04/does-colorado-recycle-less-than-20/

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 8
check_circle Corroborated 2
schedule Pending 1
info
“Colorado recycled just 15.7% of all of its municipal solid waste in 2024”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is found in a single web search result ('Does Colorado recycle less than 20% of the waste it produces?'), but no other independent source corroborates this specific 15.7% figure for 2024.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Colorado gubernatorial election will be held November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Colorado. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jared Polis is ineligible to seek re-election to a third consec…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Colorado_gubernatorial_el…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colorado is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, and part of the Southwestern United States, sharing the Four Corners regio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colorado Springs is a home rule city that is the county seat of, and the most populous city in, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.0…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs,_Colorado
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“That rate... has hovered around 15% since dropping from 17.2% in 2018”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific figures (17.2% in 2018 and hovering around 15% since) are only mentioned in one web search result.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A general election was held in the U.S. state of Colorado on November 6, 2018. All of Colorado's executive offices and all seven of its seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Colorado_elections
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2018 Colorado gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Colorado. Incumbent Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper was term-limited and could not seek a …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Colorado_gubernatorial_el…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the seven U.S. representatives from the state of Colorado, one from each of the state's se…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_United_States_House_of_Re…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Colorado is aiming to hit 35% in 2026 and 45% in 2036”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm that the Colorado Solid and Hazardous Waste Commission adopted goals of 35% by 2026 and 45% by 2036.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Colorado Rockies season is their 34th in Major League Baseball and their 32nd season at Coors Field. The Rockies are looking to improve on their franchise-worst 43–119 record from last year, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Colorado_Rockies_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Colorado gubernatorial election will be held November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Colorado. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jared Polis is ineligible to seek re-election to a third consec…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Colorado_gubernatorial_el…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States Senate election in Colorado will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Colorado. Primary elections will be held on…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_elec…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Recycling rates are higher on the Front Range, which recycled 17.1% of its waste in 2024”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific 17.1% figure for the Front Range in 2024 is not found in the provided evidence, although the region is defined in Wikipedia. The claim appears to originate from the same single source as claim 0.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Colorado Connector (CoCo), also known as Front Range Passenger Rail, is a proposed intercity passenger train service along the Front Range and I-25 corridor in Colorado. As proposed, the route wou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Connector
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_Range
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Front Range Urban Corridor is an oblong region of urban population located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains, encompassing 18 counties in the US states of Colorado and Wyoming…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_Range_Urban_Corridor
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“compared with the rest of the state, whose rate was 13.7%”
SINGLE SOURCE
The 13.7% figure for the rest of the state is not corroborated by any independent source in the provided evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The following table gives the percentages of municipal waste that is recycled, incinerated, incinerated to produce energy and landfilled.[1]. Recycling rates by country 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling_rates_by_country
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web search NEUTRAL — Recycling old mattresses was already a major challenge. But a recent snag has caused recycler Spring Back Colorado to feel even more deflated. Its buyer of the foam it strips out of used mattresses st…
https://coloradosun.com/2024/06/11/slowdown-housing-sales-co…
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web search NEUTRAL — Discover how our recycling plant tackles municipal waste effectively, improving sorting efficiency and capacity for all types of waste. #recycling #municipalwaste #zhongcheng #gabagesortingequipment. …
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/municipal-waste-fonda-theate…
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“The national municipal recycling rate was 32.1% in 2018, according to federal environmental authorities”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the US recycling rate was approximately 32% in 2018 (one source specifies 32%, another mentions the EPA's 2018 data).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The following table gives the percentages of municipal waste that is recycled, incinerated, incinerated to produce energy and landfilled.[1]. Recycling rates by country 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling_rates_by_country
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, America’s recycling rate was 32 percent, a decline from a few years earlier. Nevertheless, laws like these have faced opposition from manufac…
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/climate/maine-recycling-l…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In the United States, recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials (that would otherwise be thrown away as trash) and remanufacturing them into new products. On this page: U.S. Recy…
https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/us-recycling-system
info
“Cardboard was the most common recycled material, followed by yard trimmings and paper”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific order of materials (cardboard, yard trimmings, paper) is mentioned in one web search result but not corroborated by others.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Cardboard was the most common recycled material, followed by yard trimmings and paper. Colorado produced almost 6.8 million tons of municipal waste in 2024. Of that, roughly 5.7 million tons went into…
https://coloradosun.com/2026/05/04/does-colorado-recycle-les…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This webpage contains some state reports about recycling and waste management.
https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Now, we need to tackle the nearly 40% of our landfill waste that's food scraps and yard trimmings by investing in composting infrastructure and policies." According to the report, the cities of Boulde…
https://pirg.org/colorado/foundation/media-center/8th-state-…
info
“Colorado produced almost 6.8 million tons of municipal waste in 2024”
SINGLE SOURCE
The figure of 6.8 million tons for 2024 is mentioned in one web search result but not corroborated by other independent sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that 292.4 million U.S. short tons (2,000 lbs) of municipal waste was generated which equated to about 4.9 pounds per day per person. Out of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Humanity generates around 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste every year. Without urgent action, annual municipal solid waste generation is expected to hit 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/municipal-solid-waste
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Each year, the Philippines generates 14.6 million tons municipal waste, according to the latest data from the 2025 World Bank What a Waste Global Database. This substantial volume places the country 2…
https://filipinokami.com/philippines-generates-14-6-million-…
info
“Of that, roughly 5.7 million tons went into landfills”
SINGLE SOURCE
The figure of 5.7 million tons is mentioned in the same single web search result as claim 6 and 7, but not corroborated elsewhere.
info
“781,000 tons were recycled”
SINGLE SOURCE
The figure of 781,000 tons is mentioned in the same single web search result as claim 6 and 7, but not corroborated elsewhere.
schedule
“282,000 tons were composted”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.