Momentum Recycling was founded in 2008 with the goal of helping communities move towards zero waste. While this may seem like a daunting goal, we believe that together, by taking small but important steps, we can make great progress.
Momentum Recycling currently operates a glass recycling plant in Salt Lake City, UT and opened a new state-of-the-art Colorado facility in 2016 that is a bottle-to-bottle glass recycling plant.
Current state of glass recycling in Colorado: The Front Range introduces ~10,000 tons of glass into the waste stream each month. Roughly 1/3 of this is collected in recycling containers (either single stream or source separated). Only the source separated or drop-off glass (which is ~10-15% of the total) is clean enough for use in bottle manufacturing. Momentum’s facility now produces high-quality cullet (recycled glass) for use in bottle manufacturing and in other local industries.
Introducing Momentum Recycling’s Colorado Glass Recycling Plant
Momentum Recycling’s primary goal is to leverage our industry-leading technology to make glass recycling simple and effective for Colorado.
When glass recycling is successful, we are able to develop new, local markets and applications for recycled glass that currently do not exist.
Momentum recycling is excited to become an active, positive member of the Colorado business community and collaborate with local organizations to advance recycling, sustainability & environmental goals.
Uses of Recycled Glass in Colorado
Carbon Pricing Principals
Momentum Recycling was founded on the belief that each of us has the power to make choices that positively impact our environment. Choices related to how we produce, consume and dispose of commodities strongly influence the health of our environment. In fact, forty-two percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from activities associated the production, consumption and disposal of commodities and food (EPA 2009). Recycling is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to slow climate change, and pursuing zero waste is part of that solution. By managing waste sustainably, businesses can be part of the solution to slowing climate change. However, climate change can’t be addressed by recycling and waste reduction alone – we need to adopt a nation-wide, economy wide, market-based solution to address the causes of climate change.
Momentum Recycling endorses the Carbon Pricing Principles as a model for this solution. These principles are shared by Business Climate Leaders, the American Sustainable Business Council, Ceres’ Business for Innovation and Clean Energy Policy, Partnership for Responsible Growth, Corporate Climate Alliance, and others, as a values-based way to understand key issues of carbon pricing, as well as a starting point for comparing specific policy proposals.
The Principles
Climate change is real and presents significant risks to economic growth and prosperity. A transparent price on emissions incentivizes low carbon consumer and business choices, accelerates the commercialization of low-carbon technologies — and is the most efficient way to fight climate change.
We urge Congress to pass and the President to sign legislation that prices carbon consistent with the following principles. Any such legislation should:
- Help the U.S. to achieve its 2025 greenhouse gas reduction goals and put U.S. emissions on a path to help keep global temperature increases well below 2 degrees Celsius.
- Establish an economy-wide system to price carbon emissions.
- Increase the competitiveness of U.S. businesses globally.
- Provide a price signal strong enough to reduce the need for future regulation of carbon emissions while preserving the EPA’s present Clean Air Act regulatory authority.
- Provide flexibility to use complementary policies to reinforce effect of carbon pricing
- Preserve all families’ access to reliable, affordable energy.
- Ensure a just transition for affected workers, families, and communities.
- Incentivize comparable action by other nations.