Did you know that recycling rules can and do change? What is recyclable at your home in Vail may be a little different than at the free recycling drop site in Eagle, or in Denver, Dallas, or Denmark. There can be various reasons for changes in recycling rules, including commodities markets, infrastructure and transportation, and as those factors evolve, so too do recycling rules.
Here in Eagle County, we have dual stream and single stream recycling available, and there are a few tricky items that can go in one system but not the other. It’s important to keep track of these items and where they can or can’t be recycled. In fact, there’s been some recent changes for single stream recyclers in Eagle County!
As a reminder, if you have residential curbside recycling in the towns of Eagle, Minturn, or Arrowhead, or if you take your recycling to a free Eagle County recycling drop site, you have dual stream recycling. That means that you must separate your commingle (recyclable plastics, metals, and glass) from the paper and cardboard. Cardboard cannot be recycled curbside for dual stream customers and must be taken to a drop site. All other communities in Eagle County and most businesses have single stream recycling, in which all recycling goes into one bin.
Plastic Items
The good rule of thumb for recycling plastics in Eagle County is to recycle containers, like bottles, tubs, jugs and jars. They must have the chasing arrows symbol with a number inside in order for it to be accepted in the recycling. Folks with dual stream recycling (curbside and drop site users) can recycle plastic clamshell containers (berry and takeout containers) and plastic cups in addition to bottles, tubs, jugs and jars. No matter which stream, you must remove straws and other small plastics. Styrofoam cups and clamshells are still never recyclable in Eagle County, even if they have the chasing arrows symbol.
But watch out! There are also compostable “plastic” cups and clamshells out there. These are identifiable by the #7 PLA with the chasing arrows symbol. These items are made with plant-based plastic, not petroleum-based like traditional plastics, and can therefore not go in your recycling bin. These items can often be industrial composted, depending on your compost hauler.
Here are the other items that vary between single and dual stream recycling in Eagle County:
Aluminum Foil
Aluminum foil can be accepted in single stream recycling only. It should be clean (no food residue), and balled up. Please do not recycle if you have dual stream recycling.
Starbucks Coffee Cups
Starbucks white-fiber cups (for hot coffee) cannot be recycled in Eagle County!
Cardboard
Cardboard is recycled in both single and dual stream, but only picked up from curbside single stream recycling. If you have dual stream curbside pickup, please take your cardboard to the Free Recycling Drop Sites and it will be recycled from there!
Shredded Paper
Shredded paper can be recycled in dual stream only, but please be mindful of containing it! Try putting it in a paper bag, which is also recyclable. Never put any recycling in plastic bags!
Aseptic Cartons
Aseptic cartons (tetra paks, milk and broth cartons) can not be recycled in Eagle County!
If you’re unsure if you have single or dual stream recycling then check with your hauler, and if you’re ever unsure of what goes in which bin, check the free Eagle County Waste Wizard app!
Happy recycling!
Nina Waysdorf is the Zero Waste Coordinator at Walking Mountains Sustainability.
