More Materials, Less Sorting
Expanded Recycling Opportunities for Many
 

Residents around Boulder County are now able to recycle more kinds of materials at their local recycling Drop-off Centers and enjoy the convenience of mixing more materials together, thanks to an expanded recycling program offered by Boulder County (for Niwot, Allenspark, Lyons, and Nederland), the Cities of Louisville/Lafayette, and the City of Broomfield.

Visitors to the Drop-off Centers in these communities will now find recycling boxes marked “Commingled Containers” in place of the old boxes for cans and glass. In these new boxes, residents can mix all colors of glass bottles and jars, steel and aluminum cans, and three new types of materials: plastic bottles and milk jugs marked with a #1 or #2 on the bottom, paper milk cartons or juice boxes, and empty aerosol cans.

The opening of the new Boulder County Recycling Center has made it possible to expand the types of materials collected at recycling Drop-off Centers. The new facility increases the types of materials that can be economically sorted for recycling. As a result, more types of recyclables can be mixed at the Drop-off Centers. The benefits are greater convenience for residents, more cost-efficient hauling, and increased recycling overall.

To reduce the number of hauls required for full Commingled Containers boxes, and to prevent glass breakage, recyclers are asked to flatten their large plastic bottles. Flattened plastic bottles work as a cushion for glass and help to keep it from breaking. Broken glass is much harder to sort and market.

Note: At this time, plastic tubs marked with a #2 or #5 will still only be taken at the Boulder and Longmont Drop-off Centers, due to the currently unstable markets for these materials.

For full guidelines on recycling Commingled Containers and for the location of each of the Drop-off Centers click here.

One disadvantage to living in the mountain or rural areas has traditionally been that there isn’t as much access to recycling. Finding locations for the large recycling boxes, financing the purchase of the boxes, and paying for hauling many different material categories has, in the past, been prohibitive to expanding recycling in these areas. But that is soon to improve dramatically for four Boulder County communities.

In addition to bringing “Commingled Containers” recycling to Lyons, Allenspark, Nederland and Niwot, Boulder County now introduces “News Plus,” a material category especially designed for these towns only. “News Plus” includes Magazines/Catalogs, Office Paper/Opened Mail, and Newspaper…all mixed together in one box! This is good news to Lyons and Niwot residents who have not previously been able to recycle Magazines/Catalogs and Office Paper/Opened Mail.

Less sorting means more cost-efficient hauling of materials, more room in your garage, more convenience, and hopefully more folks participating in the program. Look for “News Plus” to come to these towns later this November! Follow guidelines for Magazines/Catalogs, Office Paper/Opened Mail and Newspapers as described on Page B of this issue’s Pull-Out Section…then just mix all these paper types together into the one recycling box. Please be careful not to add any additional paper types.