Colorbiotics more than doubles its recycling at Ames facility in a single year.

• Colorbiotics has recycled 1.8 million pounds of materials in 2023.
• The company has set their sustainability goal to increase recycling another 20% by 2025.
• Colorbiotics' ultimate target is to become a zero-waste company.

(AMES, Iowa – August 2023) Colorbiotics more than doubled its recycling figures year-over-year as part of a focused sustainability effort at the company. Through the first half of 2023, Colorbiotics had recycled more than 1.8 million pounds of materials, compared with less than 750,000 pounds the previous year.

“Every product, every raw material that we have come in here, and every finished good that we get sent out is recycled,” said Mike Sams, the operations manager.

Plastics are the primary driver of the increase in recycling for Colorbiotics. HDPE plastic accounts for 425,000 pounds and polypropylene makes up 200,000 pounds of recycling in 2023. Reclaimed water is another significant growth area in the company’s recycling efforts. It accounted for a little more than 70,000 pounds in 2022 but spiked to 900,000 pounds in 2023.

“We produce products that go on landscapes, and our goal is to make the world a more beautiful place,” Sams said. “Part of that is to be a leader in the recycling and sustainability field.”

The Ames facility includes on-site intermediate bulk container (IBC) tote recycling for its colorant products. The company sends out about 28,000 IBCs annually, which can be returned and recycled.

Colorbiotics has set a goal to increase recycling another 20% by 2025. The ultimate objective is to become a zero-waste company.