Happy  America Recycles Month! The most exciting time of the year! Recycling is incredibly important, especially here in Eagle County. Recycling systems can vary from town to town, so here is a guide to make it easy for you to recycle at home!

HOW to recycle properly:

There are multiple recycling systems present within Eagle County: Dual- and single-stream. If you live in Minturn or Arrowhead, you have a dual-stream recycling system, so you separate your commingle (plastic, glass, cans, etc) from your paper and cardboard. Dual-stream recycling material is hauled to the county-owned Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Wolcott. All other towns are a part of a single-stream recycling system which is hauled to Denver, where it is separated and sold. The curbside recycling program allows for residents to recycle:

• Glass beverage containers - all colors
• Cans - aluminum, steel, and tin cans
• Plastic containers - emptied containers #1-#7
• Cardboard - corrugated
• Paper

The difference between these two systems is that the single stream accepts aluminum foil, but dual does not; while dual stream accepts shredded paper, but single stream cannot.

Common misconceptions about recycling in Eagle County that are NOT accepted locally are:

• Aseptic cartons
• Plastic cups
• Styrofoam
• Plastic bags
• Small single-use plastics (utensils, straws, zip ties, etc.)

While all of these recycled goods can be put in your curbside recycling bin, residents have to bring other goods to different locations to be properly recycled. These separate recycling programs exist through the MRF. Residents are allowed to bring their household hazardous waste (ex. spray paint, lawn/garden products), electronic waste/e-waste (ex. appliances, TVs, phones), tires, compost (ex. food waste and BPI-certified compostables), and garbage to this facility– just about all of your waste! There is a fee depending on what you are bringing to the facility, except for anyone above the age of 65–it is free! The fees associated with these programs are found on Eagle County's Website. There are free drop-sites in the county for some hard-to-recycle items:

• Vail Valley Ace Hardware: 2111 N Frontage Road, West Vail, CO 81657
• Gypsum Ace Hardware: 220 Cooley Mesa Road, Gypsum, CO 81637
• Home Depot: 0295 Yoder Avenue, Avon, CO 81620

If you are ever unsure about how to/if you can recycle something, download the Waste Wizard App to educate yourself on all things waste in Eagle County.

Register for a free recycling tour!

WHY should we recycle:

It is crucial that we divert as much as possible from the landfill to reduce our county’s carbon footprint. Landfills are designed to not allow anything to decompose or break down and contribute to 14.3% of methane emissions in the US. A necessary way to lower Eagle County’s carbon footprint is through reducing the amount of waste that is entering the landfill. 37% of what is brought to our landfill could have been recycled at our MRF, so we can all do our part to reduce this number and recycle at home! This will reduce our county’s methane emissions by diverting the recycled goods from ever entering landfills.

If you are interested in learning more about recycling here in the valley or even schedule a free tour of our recycling facility, please contact Amelia Kovacs (ameliak@walkingmountains.org) or visit our website!

Quinn Brewer is the Zero Waste Lead at Walking Mountains. In her free time, she likes to ski, hike, or just be outside with her two dogs.