Eco-Cycle Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
ECO-CYCLE'S MISSION IS TO INNOVATE, IMPLEMENT, AND ADVOCATE FOR LOCAL AND GLOBAL ZERO WASTE SOLUTIONS TO FOSTER A MORE SUSTAINABLE, EQUITABLE, AND CLIMATE-RESILIENT FUTURE.
- Income
- $11.0 million
- Spending
- $11.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 90%
- Reserves
- 1.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 85%
- Employees
- 71
- Volunteers
- 1,000
- Highest pay
- $145,292, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 64 out of 100. Higher than 29% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.7 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 15% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1590% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 87 out of 100. Higher than 14% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2514 of 14 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
9 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $10.1 million spent. RECYCLING OF MATERIALS FROM COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL COLLECTIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT. ALSO, EDUCATION OF THE COMMUNITY CONCERNING THE IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING, AND ZERO WASTE AS A CLIMATE SOLUTION. PROCESSED AND MARKETED OVER 50,000 TONS OF SINGLE-STREAM RECYCLABLE MATERIALS AND MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF HARD-TO RECYCLE MATERIALS FROM COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL SECTORS; COLLECTED RECYCLABLES AND ORGANIC WASTE FROM HUNDREDS OF BOULDER COUNTY BUSINESSES; CONDUCTED OVER 1,500 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS IMPACTING OVER 40,000 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN 115 SCHOOLS IN 3 PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS; EDUCATED OVER 1,300 COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN BENEFITS OF RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING AND ENGAGED THEM IN LOCAL AND STATEWIDE CAMPAIGNS TO PURSUE THE ADOPTION OF POLICIES TO EXPAND RECYCLING ACCESS AND ENDMARKETS IN COLORADO. ECO-CYCLE ALSO LED COALITION EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE ADOPTION OF A DETAILED, EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR COLORADO'S GROUND-BREAKING PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY FOR PACKAGING RECYCLING PROGRAM, SLATED TO BEGIN PROVIDING EXPANDED ACCESS TO RECYCLING SERVICES IN MID-2026. ECO-CYCLE ALSO LED SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS TO PASS LEGISLATION ESTABLISHING A PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY RECYCLING PROGRAM FOR SMALL-AND MEDIUM-FORMAT BATTERIES. ECO-CYCLE CONTINUED TO ENGAGE IN ZERO WASTE POLICY DISCUSSIONS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AS CO-FOUNDERS OF THE ALLIANCE OF MISSION BASED RECYCLERS (AMBR) AND AS MEMBERS OF THE U.S. PLASTICS PACT ON HOW TO REBUILD AND EXPAND AUTHENTIC RECYCLING AND REDUCE UNNECESSARY SINGLE-USE PLASTICS. ECO-CYCLE LAUNCHED TWO NEW SCHOOLS INTO OUR GREEN STAR SCHOOLS PROGRAM, NOW TOTALING 68 PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH IMPLEMENTS INTEGRATED RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING PROGRAMMING AND HELPS SCHOOLS DIVERT AS MUCH AS 67% OF THEIR WASTE. ECO-CYCLE CONNECTED SCHOOLS, RESTAURANTS AND SMALL BUSINESSES THAT PRODUCE CLEAN FOOD SCRAPS DIRECTLY WITH LOCAL REGENERATIVE FARMERS AS PART OF OUR NEW FARMER FIRST PROGRAM; WE PROVIDED TRAINING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO HELP FARMERS USE ORGANIC DISCARDS TO MAKE AND USE COMPOST ON EIGHT FARMS, DEMONSTRATING THE POTENTIAL OF A DISTRIBUTED COMMUNITY-BASED COMPOST NETWORK THAT DIVERTS ORGANICS FROM LANDFILLS, HELPS REBUILD SOILS, AND SUPPORTS LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS.WE CONTINUED TO SUCCESSFULLY OPERATE THE BOULDER COUNTY RECYCLING CENTER AS A MODEL FACILITY FOR MISSION-BASED RECYCLING, WHILE ALSO INCREASING WAGES FOR SORTERS AND EQUIPMENT OPERATORS. OUR CENTER FOR HARD-TO-RECYCLE MATERIALS WORKED WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF CITIES AND BUSINESSES TO COLLECT MORE HARD-TO-RECYCLE MATERIAL VOLUMES AND TYPES (NOW UP TO 27 DIFFERENT MATERIALS) AND TO CULTIVATE CREATIVE END MARKET SOLUTIONS. OUR ZERO WASTE BUSINESS & HAULING DEPARTMENT EDUCATED OUR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS ON REDUCING CONTAMINATION IN RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING, CREATING A "CLEAN COMPOST" ROUTE AND DEMONSTRATING THAT QUALITY COMPOST COLLECTIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITH CONCERTED EDUCATION. ECO-CYCLE ADDED A SECOND ELECTRIC TRUCK FOR RECYCLING COLLECTIONS TO OUR FLEET AS PART OF OUR EFFORT TO DEMONSTRATE THE EFFICACY OF CLEAN TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS IN THE WASTE INDUSTRY. WE ALSO EVOLVED OUR POLYBAG COLLECTION PROJECT FROM A SUCCESSFUL PEARL STREET MALL PILOT TO A GROWING PARTNERSHIP WITH ECOENCLOSE TO SCALE UP RETAIL POLYBAG COLLECTIONS AND TRANSPORTATION TO A REMANUFACTURER TO PURSUE CIRCULAR BAG-TO-BAG RECYCLING. ECO-CYCLE INCORPORATED EQUITY INTO OUR WORK BY CONTINUING TO RAISE THE WAGE FLOOR FOR THE LEAST-PAID EMPLOYEES IN THE ORGANIZATION AND EXPANDING OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO BECOME A MORE REPRESENTATIVE AND INCLUSIVE ORGANIZATION. WE CONTINUED TO INTEGRATE EQUITY ARGUMENTS ABOUT IMPACTS OF PLASTIC PRODUCTION AND DISPOSAL, CHEMICAL RECYCLING, AND LANDFILL POLLUTION ON FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES INTO OUR CAMPAIGN MATERIALS AND WORKED IN COALITION WITH GREEN LATINOS AND OTHER EQUITY LEADERS TO PUSH FOR UPDATED COLORADO LANDFILL METHANE REGULATIONS. ECO-CYCLE INCREASED EDUCATION PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES AT NINE TITLE 1 SCHOOLS, TRANSLATING OUTREACH MATERIALS AND PROVIDING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS AND WEBINARS IN SPANISH. ECO-CYCLE CONTINUED TO EXPAND OUR ECO-LEADER PROGRAM AND PUBLIC OUTREACH EFFORTS WITH PRESENTATIONS AND WEBINARS, TABLING AT EVENTS, FACILITY TOURS, AND VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT IN EFFORTS LIKE PLANTING 150 TREES WITH THE COOL BOULDER URBAN FORESTRY PROJECT. WE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE NUMEROUS ZERO WASTE TOOLS FOR COLORADO COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING RELEASING OUR ANNUAL 2024 STATE OF COLORADO RECYCLING REPORT WITH COPIRG. FINALLY, ECO-CYLE CONTRACTED WITH NUMEROUS COLORADO TO HELP THEM TAKE THE NEXT STEP ON THEIR ZERO WASTE JOURNEY, PROVIDING TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TO 14 COMMUNITIES AND ONE SCHOOL DISTRICT, INCLUDING FOR EXAMPLE SUPPORTING THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE'S ADOPTION OF A UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE IN 2025.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 1978.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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