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Olivia Dark
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Featured photo courtesy of Broomfield-Ueda Sister City Exchange
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Broomfield Sister Cities Completes Phase 1 of Landmark Research Exchange with Sister City Ueda, Japan to Tackle Waste Together.
Grant-funded partnership leverages cross-cultural insights to revolutionize local recycling.
BROOMFIELD, CO – Tuesday, August 4th marked the end of the first research exchange trip where a representative from Ueda City’s Waste Reduction Planning Office in Nagano, Japan spent three days touring facilities in Broomfield and surrounding cities related to their Zero Waste Plan. Broomfield Sister Cities is facilitating this first-ever sister city exchange related to tackling a shared global issue together.
During the 2025 student exchange trip to Japan, the Broomfield delegation discovered that Ueda was prioritizing waste reduction, particularly in food waste composting. Recognizing that Broomfield had adopted its own ambitious Zero Waste Plan in 2020, delegates returned home to share the discovery with the Mayor of Broomfield. That spark ignited an international conversation on waste reduction. Broomfield and Ueda submitted a joint proposal in a new competition launched by Sister Cities International and the United States-Japan Foundation, a Global Impact Grant challenge, inviting American and Japanese sister cities to submit proposals for how they can work together to address shared challenges. The Broomfield-Ueda proposal was one of two winners selected from 34 applications.
“The project proposal we received jointly from Broomfield and Ueda captured perfectly the ideals and goals of the competition,” said Jake Schlesinger, President of the United States-Japan Foundation, which funded the competition. “They’re focused on one of the most pressing issues faced by both countries, and showed how shared action at the local level can effectively address a problem with a global scale.”
The culmination of the three-day trip was a community presentation that drew an enthusiastic crowd, eager to learn from their sister city. Attendees engaged deeply with the presentation, discovering the sheer number of local organizations dedicated to reducing landfill waste while getting a rare look at Broomfield’s recycling strengths and weaknesses through the fresh cultural lens of the guest from Ueda.
The standout moment for many attendees came when they were provided with a widely used Japanese public guide – a highly visual flyer explaining exactly how to sort items for recycling – and a new Broomfield Recycling Guide inspired by Ueda’s comprehensive and clear model. This gave community members a side-by-side look at how waste management works in both cities. The response was immediate and personal. Attendees commented on hanging or even framing the guide in their garage to build new sorting habits with their neighbors.
Because the United States and Japan are two of the largest producers of post-consumer plastic waste globally, our nations would have the biggest impact in solving this issue together. This project has opened a meaningful dialogue with partners across the globe, proving that when communities share ideas on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle, we can create a better future for all.
About Broomfield Sister Cities:
The Broomfield Sister Cities Organization (BSCO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to cultivating global citizenship and citizen diplomacy. For over two decades, our flagship programs have connected municipal leaders and facilitated life-changing youth exchanges—sending Broomfield students to experience Japanese homestays in Ueda and welcoming Japanese student delegations here to Colorado to foster mutual respect and lifelong friendships.
About United States-Japan Foundation:
The United States-Japan Foundation (USJF) is an independent philanthropic organization dedicated to strengthening bilateral ties and addressing shared challenges. Since its founding in 1980, USJF has supported diverse initiatives through over $100 million in grants in both countries. Today, alongside its grant programs, USJF oversees the US-Japan Leadership Program (USJLP), a network connecting over 500 leaders from both nations.
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