Aurora this month became home to a major recycling and waste-processing investment as WM (formerly Waste Management) unveiled a new $110 million facility intended to play a central role in Colorado's recently approved producer responsibility recycling program.
What the facility will do
The plant, located in Aurora, is designed to process 175,000 tons of waste a year. Company officials said the facility's scale and capabilities were planned with the state's policy change in mind, which aims to expand free curbside recycling to hundreds of thousands of households and businesses over the next decade.
- Investment: $110 million
- Annual processing capacity: 175,000 tons
- Program target: free curbside recycling for more than 700,000 homes and businesses statewide by 2035
How it ties to Colorado's producer responsibility program
Last year, Colorado approved a producer responsibility recycling program that will phase in expanded, free curbside recycling. WM executives said the law factored into their decision to build the new Aurora plant.
"We knew it was coming, so that was part of the driving force in our decision to build this," said Mark Snedecor, director of business development and infrastructure planning for WM.
The new facility is therefore positioned as part of the state's broader effort to increase recycling access across urban and suburban communities, including Aurora residents who use curbside collection services.
On-site energy plans
WM also is planning additional infrastructure at the site to recover and convert landfill gas into pipeline-quality natural gas. The company said an on-site plant to convert methane from a nearby landfill to natural gas is in the works; WM's chief operating officer, Tara Hemmer, referenced this planned capability when describing the site's future operations.
"[WM is] planning to build an on-site plant to convert methane from its nearby landfill to natural gas," said Tara Hemmer, WM's chief operating officer.
Local implications
For Aurora residents, the new facility represents a local node in a statewide shift toward producer-funded recycling services. The processing capacity is significant relative to municipal waste streams, and the planned methane-to-gas conversion would keep more energy resources in circulation while reducing emissions from landfill gas—if and when the conversion plant comes online.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Facility investment | $110 million |
| Annual processing capacity | 175,000 tons |
| Statewide curbside recycling goal | More than 700,000 homes and businesses by 2035 |
State and local officials will oversee the rollout of Colorado's producer responsibility program, which sets timelines and standards for recycling access. The Aurora facility adds processing infrastructure that could help meet the increased material volumes as curbside recycling expands across the Denver metro area and beyond.
Details on the facility's exact location in Aurora, employment numbers, and the timeline for the methane-to-natural-gas conversion were not specified in the announcement. WM officials said the state program's approval influenced the investment decision, signaling a public-private alignment around the state's recycling goals.
