Recycling in Boulder County
> Be a volunteer Eco-Cycle Eco-Leader!
> Curbside recycling guidelines
> Curbside composting guidelines
> How to get curbside recycling service
> How to get recycling and composting services at your apartment or condo complex
> Recycling at the Drop-off Center
> Use our A-Z Recycling Guide for materials that aren't recycled at the curb
Be a volunteer Eco-Cycle Eco-Leader in Boulder County!
Stay in touch about the latest Zero Waste Boulder County updates and learn how you can make a difference where you live, work, and play around town.
Curbside Recycling Service
Residents of unincorporated Boulder County now receive recycling service with their trash service at no additional cost thanks to a Boulder County ordinance.
The following haulers all provide service for curbside trash and recycling. Prices and types of recycling containers will vary. Call them to begin service and to determine your recycling day. If you have questions about your service or missed pickups, call your hauler.
- Allied Waste Services, 303-286-1200
- Green Girl Recycling Services, 303-459-3456
- Keep Magnolia Clean, LLC, 303-565-0452
- One Way Trash, 303-823-0556
- Town & Country, 303-665-6811
- Western Disposal Services, 303-444-2037
What can be recycled?
Boulder County has now adopted single-stream recycling. Instead of diligently separating recyclables into two “streams” — mixed paper (newspaper, junk mail, etc.) and commingled containers (bottles, cans, etc.) — you can put these two streams together in one bin.
> Download single-stream recycling guidelines.
> Check out our list of the Dirty Dozen recycling contaminants.
Tips for curbside recycling:
- Be sure to put your materials out by 7 a.m. on the correct day.
- Please prepare materials correctly and only include items accepted through your program. Including additional materials jeopardizes recycling markets and makes processing more costly.
- Please rinse containers. Do not crush or flatten containers.
- Please avoid breaking glass. Glass shards are difficult to sort by color, and even more difficult to market.
Recycling at the Boulder County Recycling Center Drop-Off Center
Location: 1901 63rd St. between Arapahoe Ave. and Valmont (just north of Arapahoe and the railroad tracks)
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Turn North on 63rd from Arapahoe. Go over the train tracks
and immediately on your left you will see the drop-off center. - View a Map
Hours: Open 24 hours a day.
Phone: 303-444-6634
Single-Stream Recycling is Now Accepted at the Boulder County Recycling Center! View and print Single-Stream Recycling Guidelines
Looking for scrap metal recycling?
As of August 1, 2011, the Boulder County Recycling Center no longer accepts scrap metal. The new City of Boulder location for scrap metal recycling is the Eco-Cycle CHaRM in Boulder.
The following materials are accepted together in the single-stream recycling bin at the Boulder County Recycling Center:
Commingled Containers
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Glass bottles and jars of any color (please avoid breaking glass)
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Aluminum cans (do not crush or flatten cans)
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Aluminum pie pans and aluminum foil; Ball all aluminum foil together into one large ball 2" or larger (no small, balled-up foil)
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Steel (tin) cans
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Metal jar lids (loose)
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Metal bottle caps
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Empty aerosol cans (no caps)
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Paper milk cartons/drink boxes/juice cartons
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Plastic bottles, tubs, jugs and jars; OK to recycle screw-top plastic caps on empty plastic containers. View an example on our printable single-stream guidelines.
Office Paper/Opened Mail
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Blueprints, brochures, computer printouts, file folders, fax paper, greeting cards, letterhead, pamphlets, pastel colored legal pad paper, slick/glossy ads & brochures, stationery letters, white ream wrappers, white & pastel-colored paper, white & pastel-colored envelopes (windows envelopes OK)
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PLEASE NO: Neon, fluorescent, or dark-colored papers, newspaper or cardboard, Kraft or goldenrod (orange-brownish) envelopes, sheets of address labels or stickers.
Corrugated Cardboard and Brown Paper Bags
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Please flatten boxes.
Magazines/Catalogs, Newspapers/Newspaper Inserts & Phone Books
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NO other papers, boxes, bags or string.
Paperboard Boxes/Low-grade Paper Products
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Single-layer boxes, such as: cereal boxes (throw away inside bag), gift/shirt boxes, shoe boxes, 6-pack & 12-pack cartons/boxes.
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Low-grade paper items such as: cracker boxes (throw away inside bag), hanging file folders, paper egg cartons, soap boxes and facial tissue boxes, paper shopping bags (brown bags go with corrugated cardboard), paper tubes (e.g., paper towel tubes, toilet paper tubes, etc.)
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Shredded paper.
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NO Kraft (orange/brownish) envelopes; Neon, fluorescent or dark-colored paper; Paper towels; Paper cups, photographs; Frozen food, ice cream & frozen juice containers; Photographs; Pet food bags.
These items are also collected separately from single-stream recycling at the Boulder County Recycling Center Drop-off Center:
Glass Bottles & Jars:
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no attached caps
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NO vases, plate glass (windows), mirrors, Pyrex, CorningWare, ceramics, dishes, metal, plastic, food or trash.
Corrugated Cardboard & Brown Paper Bags:
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Please flatten boxes
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NO waxed cardboard
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NO paperboard (cereal boxes, tissue boxes, etc.)
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NO polysytrene (aka Styrofoam) or plastic bags
Office Paper & Mail:
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PLEASE NO: Neon, fluorescent, or dark-colored papers, newspaper or cardboard, Kraft or goldenrod (orange-brownish) envelopes, sheets of address labels or stickers.
Shredded Paper
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paper materials only; no shredded plastic cards
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Zero Waste Tip: Rip it, don't shred it! Please avoid shredding paper whenever possible. Shredding shortens the paper fibers and therefore cuts the recycled life of paper in half. Instead, consider ripping off sensitive elements of your documents and shredding or ripping only that piece, leaving the rest of the page whole. Learn more about shredding.
