Recycling Clarity

Dear Eartha,

I saw a post on One Man’s Junk last week regarding recycling in Summit County. The post mentioned that there’s no recycling in Summit. People were saying all sorts of things in response, and I wanted to go straight to the source for an answer to this confusion.

Jane, Frisco

Thank you for your question this week Jane. Last week’s post on One Man’s Junk, a popular social media classifieds page for Summit County, quickly became a hotbed of activity regarding recycling in our community. At the center of the discussion, a post denouncing recycling in Summit County sparked nearly 200 commenters to jump into a conversation thread about the state of our local recycling operations. While we’re thrilled that our community is talking about recycling, we’d like to set the record straight and clarify several common misconceptions.

 

Fortunately, here in Summit County we do in fact fund a recycling operation. The High Country Conservation Center, formerly The Summit Recycling Project, remains heavily involved in local recycling efforts. While Summit County Government funds the recycling operations and ongoing costs associated with this program, The High County Conservation Center (HC3) remains the resource center for any and all recycling-related questions. At HC3, we field nearly 1,500 recycling calls annually, and are pleased to offer a food scrap collection program for those Summit County residents interested in reducing their impact beyond standard materials recycling.

 

At the heart of our recycling operations is the Summit County Resource Allocation Park (SCRAP). The SCRAP, often referred to as the ‘dump’ or the ‘landfill’, is far more than just that. At HC3 we shy away from using the word landfill to describe the SCRAP because its home to four primary operations. The SCRAP contains a landfill, a materials recovery facility (MRF) for traditional recycling, a large compost pad for brown and green waste, and Household Hazardous/E-Waste program. The three latter operations make up the spectrum of waste diversion in Summit County. These programs combined allow us to divert 23% of our municipal solid waste from going into the landfill.  Yes, there is room for improvement, but we are ahead of many other rural Colorado communities. As a Summit County resident concerned with our local waste diversion efforts, a visit to the SCRAP for a tour is a must. Their hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 7AM – 4PM.

 

Recycling in Summit County comes in two forms – curbside pickup service, and our recycling drop-off centers located in Breckenridge and Frisco. While these two services have their nuances, they serve the same primary role, to make recycling in Summit County as cost-effective and convenient as possible. With a trip to one of our local drop off centers, you’re able to recycle everything from carboard to common bottles, scrap metal, and even glass. A trip up to the SCRAP will enable any Summit County resident to recycle their electronics or household hazardous waste for free. Give HC3 a call before you head out the door to ensure you know where you’re headed and what materials are accepted.

 

While an argument can be made that landfills are inherently detrimental to our natural environment, it may be important for us as a community to keep this resource in our back-yard. As our culture becomes increasingly segregated from the waste we produce, there’s an argument to be made that having a landfill in our back-yard is a constant reminder to do the right thing. During your next visit to one of our local recycling drop-off centers, be sure to read the source separation signs in detail and recycle according to the rules. Clean your recycling before you take it to the drop off centers – clean recyclable material greatly increases the effectiveness of our local operations at the SCRAP, improves working conditions, and lowers costs. Remember that your recycling actions affect the entirety of the recycling chain.

 

Summit County Government and HC3 are working diligently to continue to improve the effectiveness of our local waste diversion efforts. Support and input from members of our community is welcome and appreciated through this process. Visit us online at highcountryconservation.org to take our recycling survey on the homepage and tell us what programs are important to you. Ask the business you frequently patronize if they recycle or have joined the Resource Wise sustainable business program. Joining our food-scrap drop off program is a great way to support our local compost operations. Remember to call HC3 to learn more about local recycling and how you can make a difference in diverting waste. We look forward to hearing from you.

 

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Ask Eartha Steward is written by the staff at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation. Submit questions to Eartha at info@staging.highcountryconservation.org.

Image courtesy of Titan Property Management