What do equipment downtime, excessive maintenance, added labor costs and reduced commodity values all have in common? They all can result from contamination in the recycling stream. Follow these simple rules to keep the recycling stream clean and the Boulder County Recycling Center operating efficiently: 1. NO LOOSE PLASTIC BAGS AND NO MATERIAL IN PLASTIC…
Virtually all of us at one time or another have enjoyed the convenience and ease of online shopping to purchase everything from toothpaste to mattresses. With companies such as Amazon, Instacart, Blue Apron, in addition to the online options from traditional retailers, Americans spent over $500 billion in online purchases in 2018. However, this convenience…
When it comes to sustainability, the role of the landfill is most often portrayed in unflattering terms. Over the past 30 years the drive to divert material from the landfill has changed the template of recycling. From dual stream bin collection to commingled carts, more and more materials have been incorporated as acceptable items as…
If the St. Vrain Valley Schools were a city, its student and staff population of more than 38,000 would put it among the 25 largest in the state. As with any population this size, resource stewardship is important both fiscally and environmentally. Laurel Mattrey, St. Vrain’s Energy and Sustainability Manager, shares that school district leadership…
As the recycling industry continues to face market and quality challenges, companies such as AMP Robotics are creating hi-tech solutions. With charges for recycling continuing to escalate ($32.50 per ton as of June 2019 vs. $5.00 per ton May 2018 at the Boulder County Recycling Center), innovation with robotic sorting is gaining interest at material…
Earth Day and Beyond Every year for the past 49 years, Earth Day has been observed around the world as a way to raise global ecological awareness. Observed in 192 countries, it is now the largest civic-focused day of action in the world. This year’s theme is “Protect our Species”. And while we here in…
Plastic bags are one of the most pernicious, problematic materials for recycling facilities. They cannot be sorted mechanically and as a result they roll along the sorting lines getting tangled up in the screens, jamming the machinery and costing time and money to extract.
As of the end of 2018, we have forty-seven trucks – that’s 78% of our collection fleet – running on this clean burning CNG fuel.
In Boulder, the farm to table concept is well known and practiced by many Boulder restaurants to help customers see the connection between the food served and the farms where this food grows. In addition, many of us also maintain our own gardens to feed our families fresh healthy foods. This connection to farms, while…
You’ve got the basics down, now it’s time to up your game. Take the “pulp fiction” quiz below to see how well you know the Boulder County Recycling Center’s paper recycling guidelines. Fact or fiction – the following papers are recyclable: Copy or printer paper-ream wrappers Hanging and file folders Construction paper and tissue paper…
Summer is here! For many of us, summertime means camping at one of the countless magical spots here in Colorado. For others, this is the time to finally get some projects done around the house while also keeping that yard looking good. However, did you know that both activities create a unique waste item that must…
Product Stewardship, the practice of minimizing the health, safety and environmental impact of products across their entire life cycle while also maximizing economic benefits, is receiving increasing attention in both the public and private sectors. But years before the term was common in waste management vernacular, stewards of public health recognized the threat that certain…
