If you’re in Eagle County visiting, have recently taken a trip, or even just reminiscing on the good old days when we were able to travel more freely, you may have been confused to find that recycling rules are different than at home. Within Eagle County there are different recycling rules depending on where you are and how you recycle, and those rules are a little different than how people recycle next door in Summit County, down in Denver, or in another state or country. Recycling is typically controlled at a local level by county or municipality, rather than on a state or federal level.
Recyclers, haulers and collectors must consider many factors when deciding if something is recyclable or not, including markets, access and infrastructure. Recycling is based on markets in that there needs to be someone to buy a material and process it into a new item. If there’s no market, then it’s not recyclable! And different recyclers and facilities have access to different markets, which accounts for some of the variance place to place.
It’s also important to consider access and infrastructure. Can materials safely and efficiently access the available markets? Take glass, for instance. In many parts of the country, there are no glass recyclers nearby. Because of the weight and fragility of glass, it unfortunately may not make economic or logistical sense to transport that material. We’re lucky in Colorado to have a glass recycler in the state. Consider though, that Eagle County is, of course, in the mountains. That means that there are always extra transportation and logistical considerations for getting materials to markets.
Keep in mind that where you live and where you travel might have different recycling rules so it’s always important to check! Follow these tips to make sure you’re recycling right, wherever you are.
Tips
Nina Waysdorf is the Zero Waste Coordinator at Walking Mountains Sustainability.