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…
The dreaming and planning and shopping are done. Maybe you’ve hired a contractor, maybe it’s DIY this time around. Either way, before you pull out the dust mask and hammer, there’s one final detail to tend to; choosing a trash dumpster service for your construction waste. Making a selection isn’t complicated, but taking the time…
Backyard composting is an effective way to reduce your household carbon footprint, and it can be very rewarding to produce your very own quality compost for the garden. While there is certainly a lot of science behind backyard composting, a little know-how will take you a long way. To produce your own “black gold”, nurture your…
Myrtle Spurge. Bohemian knotweed. Medusahead. Camelthorn. No, these aren’t the latest craft beers, they are all considered noxious weeds in the state of Colorado. The state of Colorado has designated specific plants as noxious weeds because the plants present a threat to natural or agricultural lands, including Boulder’s beautiful open spaces. Noxious weeds are plants…
