STEPS Program

Status: Open

Program Type: Public Sectors

Who Can Apply:

Towns, cities, counties, unincorporated areas, tribes, and public K-12 school districts in Colorado are eligible for the STEPS program.

Communities may apply independently, or multiple towns, cities, and/or counties can collaborate on a joint project. There is no minimum or maximum community size or population.

Private entities, businesses, and nonprofits are not eligible for STEPS.

About the program:

The Strategic Technical Expertise for the Public Sector (STEPS) program assists local governments, tribes, and public K-12 school districts with efforts to enhance circularity, including averting and diverting waste, by developing sustainable, long-term solutions and potential paths that meet the unique needs of each community.

Project examples include waste diversion action plans; recycling drop-off center analysis, design, and planning; organics diversion program design and implementation; policy design and implementation, including hauler licensing; zero-waste programming support; regional planning; contracting and RFP support; and education, outreach, and engagement, including stakeholder engagement.

Program Higlights

Technical support is provided by the C3 staff and a contractor team. There is no direct cost to communities that receive STEPS consulting support. C3 covers the cost of STEPS assistance, but communities must commit staff time to support the proposed project. In some instances, communities may be asked to cover printing costs, the cost of translation and/or interpretation services, or other in-kind contributions that support the work conducted by the STEPS team.

Who Can Apply

  • Local Governments

  • Tribes

  • Public K-12 Schools & School Districts

General Eligibility

  • Towns, cities, counties, unincorporated areas, tribes, and public K-12 school districts in Colorado are eligible for the STEPS program.

  • Communities may apply independently, or multiple towns, cities, and/or counties can collaborate on a joint project.

  • There is no minimum or maximum community size or population.

  • Private entities, businesses, and nonprofits are not eligible for STEPS.

Program Details

STEPS provides communities with a range of technical assistance options. Interested communities should submit an inquiry and a C3 team member will help the community identify whether they are in need of light-touch or in-depth technical assistance.

Light-touch Technical Assistance

  • Short-term technical assistance for smaller projects taking up to six months to complete and require 50 or fewer hours of consulting support.

  • Light-touch technical assistance may be offered after an office hour appointment with the C3 team.

  • No proposal or approval by the C3 Board of Directors is required.

In-depth Technical Assistance

  • Comprehensive technical support for complex, large-scale projects taking up to 18 months to complete and requiring more than 50 hours of consulting.

  • In-depth projects are considered following an invitation to submit a proposal to the C3 Board of Directors.

  • The STEPS team will help communities create project proposals.

  • Proposals require a “Letter of Engagement” signed by a designated signatory from the community.

STEPS may help communities identify capital funding opportunities, but does not directly fund capital projects, diversion equipment, or other purchases. STEPS entities are eligible to apply for C3 grants.

Application Process and Key Dates

To begin the STEPS process, Submit a technical assistance inquiry to receive support from an C3 staff member. Staff members can provide assistance to learn more about STEPS, discuss project ideas, and determine whether your project requires light-touch or in-depth technical assistance.

Resources:

Summaries of In-depth projects


Producer Responsibility Program

Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, is a program established with Colorado House Bill 22-1355 that makes producers of packaging and paper products responsible for the recycling of their materials. The State of Colorado appointed Circular Action Alliance (CAA) as the designated Producer Responsibility Organization. If you have questions about EPR, please contact CAA directly.