Recycling in Boulder

Inquire Boulder

Resident of Boulder? Visit a lot? We need your help getting all businesses and apt/condo complexes to recycle and compost!

Click here to visit the Inquire Boulder webpage to let the City of Boulder know if you find a business or apartment building that does not have recycle and compost bins, or may have contamination problems, and needs some extra help.

Boulder’s Universal Zero Waste Ordinance requires recycling and composting services everywhere, including at businesses, workplaces, condo and apt complexes, and around town. Click here to learn more.

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Curbside Recycling Service

Recycling in Boulder is collected by your trash hauler. The City of Boulder requires haulers to provide recycling services for each trash customer at no additional cost.

The following four haulers all provide service in the City of Boulder 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)

• One Way Trash (303-823-0556)

• Town & Country (303-665-6811)

• Western Disposal Services (303-444-2037)
   

What can be recycled?

Boulder 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:

1. Be sure to put your materials out by 7 a.m. on the correct day.

2. Please prepare materials correctly and only include items accepted through your program. Including additional materials jeopardizes recycling markets and makes processing more costly.

3. Please rinse containers. Do not crush or flatten containers.

4. Please avoid breaking glass. Glass shards are difficult to sort by color, and even more difficult to market.

Recycling at the Drop-Off Center in Boulder at the Boulder County Recycling Center

Location: 1901 63rd St. between Arapahoe and Valmont

• 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? 

The following materials are accepted together in the single-stream recycling bin at the Boulder County Recycling Center: 

Commingled Containers

• Glass bottles and jars of any color (please avoid breaking glass)

• Aluminum cans (do not crush or flatten cans)

• Aluminum pie pans and aluminum foil; Ball all aluminum foil together into one large ball 2" or larger (no small, balled-up foil)

• Steel (tin) cans

• Metal jar lids (loose)

• Metal bottle caps

• Empty aerosol cans (no caps)

• Paper milk cartons/drink boxes/juice cartons

• 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

• 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)

• 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

• Please flatten boxes.

Magazines/Catalogs, Newspapers/Newspaper Inserts & Phone Books

• NO other papers, boxes, bags or string.

Paperboard Boxes/Low-grade Paper Products

• Single-layer boxes, such as: cereal boxes (throw away inside bag), gift/shirt boxes, shoe boxes, 6-pack & 12-pack cartons/boxes.

• 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.)

• 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 at the Boulder County Recycling Center Drop-off Center: 

Glass Bottles & Jars:

• no attached caps

• NO vases, plate glass (windows), mirrors, Pyrex, CorningWare, ceramics, dishes, metal, plastic, food or trash.

Corrugated Cardboard & Brown Paper Bags: 

• Please flatten boxes

• NO waxed cardboard

• NO paperboard (cereal boxes, tissue boxes, etc.)

• NO polysytrene (aka Styrofoam) or plastic bags

Office Paper & Mail:

• 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

• paper materials only; no shredded plastic cards

• 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.

What items are NOT recyclable? View and print our Dirty Dozen: The Recycling Bin's Worst Contaminants