Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise awards $9.8 million grant to support pivotal recycling project on the Western Slope

Denver (September 4, 2025) – The Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise awarded a multi-year $9.8 million grant to the City of Grand Junction to dramatically increase recycling access on the Western Slope. The city is building a Material Recovery Facility to benefit rural and underserved areas in the region. The advanced sortation equipment will increase the amount of recyclable material that manufacturing can reuse.  

The enterprise recommended the project after spending more than seven months assessing the request, partnerships, financial viability, and sustainability. The grant funds will support advanced sortation equipment to ensure high-quality commodities and affordable waste management fees. 

“Increasing recycling access and expanding capacity are key steps to boosting the circular economy,” said Jeff Stalter, Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise Program manager. Tyler Bandemer, chair of the C3 Enterprise Board of Directors, echoed the sentiment. “This project will connect Western slope residents to recycling and give us an opportunity to keep these materials in circulation. The Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise board is proud to support this local government and industry partnership.”

The Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise, housed at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, helps Colorado businesses, local governments, and communities transition to a circular economy. This project aligns with the board’s strategic goals by keeping valuable materials out of landfills, extending the useful life of products, and supporting new or existing circularity markets. 

Grants and funding opportunities for work that advances Colorado’s circular economy are continuously available. Local governments, Tribes, and public K-12 school districts can also receive no-cost technical assistance to support local circularity planning. To learn more about C3, visit coloradocircularcommunities.org. Businesses focused on establishing or expanding a circular end market may want to start with the Circular Economy Development Center. 

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