Colorado NextCycle is open to applicants anywhere in the U.S. or internationally

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s newly adopted statewide waste diversion goal aims to more than double the state’s current recycling rate to 45 percent by 2036. Achieving that goal requires robust end markets to form a more sustainable domestic recycling economy within the region. To foster innovative recycling solutions in the state and jumpstart the process of developing end markets for recovered commodities and organic materials, the department launched Colorado NextCycle.

Funded by the department’s existing grant fund dollars, Colorado NextCycle is an incentivized business incubator providing technical support and mentoring from a Technical Advisory Committee to help applicants prepare for the 2019 grant cycle. The program assists cross-sector teams in moving their concepts for creating a sustainable domestic recycling economy from idea stage to viable/actionable stage. Business concepts may be focused on developing end markets for recovered commodities or organic materials, including secondary processing. The ultimate goal is to positively affect Colorado’s recycling rate and its environmental impact through end market development while also creating jobs, tax revenue and material throughput.

Colorado NextCycle is looking for teams with business ideas that directly improve existing end markets or create new end markets for recycled or composted materials in Colorado. Teams interested in joining NextCycle must submit their letter of intent by Dec. 16. A jump-kit containing basic material recovery information and program participation instructions is available on the department’s website.

Teams accepted into the program will be provided with resources to refine their ideas and develop a business plan to submit in the department’s upcoming 2019 CDPHE grant cycle. The accepted teams will receive $5,000 seed money to assist with developing their ideas. They also will be able to work with the Technical Advisory Committee and be given in-depth data on local/regional populations, waste, supply chain modeling, commodity market pricing and regulatory information.

Any team that can create or improve end markets for recycled commodities in Colorado can apply. Applicants could include manufacturers, secondary material processors,  compost operators, venture capitalists, incubators, universities and other innovative thinkers. Teams are encouraged to collaborate to provide cross-sector solutions to Colorado’s end-market challenges. The program is open to applicants anywhere in the U.S. or internationally. Applicants outside the state are encouraged to use NextCycle as an opportunity to explore the possibility of a Colorado location.

More information can be found at www.colorado.gov/cdphe/nextcycle or by contacting the program manager at nexctcycle@recycle.com or 303.953-2461