Sign up for email newsletters

Sign up for email newsletters

Single-stream recycling is available in Estes Park, curbside from WM or Superior Trash Company (STC) and at the Residential Recycling Center (RRC) or the Transfer Station (TS) on Elm Road. The RRC does not accept any material generated by businesses. All local single-stream collections currently follow the rules set by Larimer County, under a contract with Waste Management (WM).

Single stream recycling, prevalent in the United States, but relatively rare in European countries, was created to make recycling “easy”, but also encourages “wish-cycling.” meaning that many individuals “recycle” without learning the rules. Some have a tendency to believe that anything made of metal, glass, paper, or plastic can be placed in the single-stream bin. As a matter of fact, due to differences in machinery and handling, each MRF and often each collection yard, has its own rules. This increases complexity, but also increases opportunity, especially when you consider “hard to recycle” collections and other source-separated recycling, like our local Planet Partners.

Changes are coming. Colorado HB21-1162 begins to eliminate the proliferation of plastic shopping bags and expanded polystyrene take-out boxes. This is happening all over the United States, state by state, community by community. HB22-1159, designed to attract remanufacturers and develop Colorado markets for recyclables, encourages the formation of a circular economy. HB-22-1135 develops an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system to encourage responsible packaging with financial incentives. This is a start and some of the single use, “use it then lose it” products (that single stream is designed to handle) will gradually disappear.

In single stream, SIZE can be an issue. Things that are too small literally fall through the cracks in the conveyor belt. Things that are too large – stop progress, sometimes damaging the sorting equipment in the process. … Garden hoses, cords, and light strings are banned by virtue of entanglement (in the equipment) causing considerable down-time. … While there have been recent upgrades available, some COLORs, such as black plastic, cannot be seen by older equipment and get completely overlooked. … and … SHAPE is essential to a successful single-stream operation. Example: The local single stream collection accepts metal shaped like cans, but the sorting equipment at the WM Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Denver will not recognize the same metal shaped like nails, or pliers, or sheet goods. This makes single stream “easy” but difficult … enticing but inaccurate – unless we learn to recycle “right” for each and every collection yard we use.

Too much contamination often results in sending recyclable material to the landfill because hand sorting is not cost effective and can be dangerous to employees. Single-stream recycling does, usually, result in a larger yard collection, but, if it also increases the percentage of the material collected that does not qualify to be actually recycled by the MRF, is that really an improvement? Source-separated collections can avoid the problems of size, color, and shape. Source-separated collection is available at collection yards at Larimer County Recycling, Timberline (Fort Collins) and Eco-cycle (Boulder County), but we must consider the contribution to pollution caused by a trip down-valley. “Where THAT should go” can be a personal decision based upon distance, cost (financial and environmental), and storage space.

The convenience market is created and supported by those who buy, use, and throw away and that is also the market that supports single stream recycling. Recognize the ways you are wasting money on unsustainable efforts. Substitution is key. My household bought reusable, washable terrycloth bar towels. Yes, occasionally we still use a piece of a paper towel for something “yucky”. But we cut our paper towel use down to 1 roll a year … and the consumed material from that single roll (used in small pieces) … gets composted. That is just one example of many substitutes we have discovered, allowing us to stop buying so many things to throw away. So, recycling is important … but reducing and reusing are better. I knew this was a good move ecologically, but even I was surprised by the accumulated financial savings from such endeavors.

Agree? Disagree? Comments. RRRcyc@signsandwishes.com.

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

Sign up for email newsletters

Have you heard of Treehouse Learning? It’s a privately owned early childhood education program serving infants, toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners...

Alpine Surgical treats all general surgery procedures with an emphasis of laparoscopic surgical techniques. Their goal is to get you...

Wyatt’s Wet Goods is Longmont’s largest liquor store. It’s takes a store this big to hold all the amazing deals...

Viegut Funeral Home provides affordable mortuary services in Loveland. Since 2000, they have been committed to providing affordable funeral services...

Are you a runner? Wouldn’t you love to have an apartment close to running trails? The Shores at McIntosh Lake...