Recycling services have expanded and become more accessible at the Boulder transfer site after Jefferson County Solid Waste chose to move the existing containers to a more visible and manageable location last month.
Jefferson County Solid Waste Director Mike Myers brought back the tin can recycling container as part of the change to prevent residents from throwing them away.
Prior to the move, transfer site users confused the bins with garbage disposal cans, requiring workers to separate the materials before transporting it to the recycling facility. Myers said the move places the bins where site attendants can supervise their use to prevent this from happening.
Connie Grenz—the “recycling guru,” according to Myers—told The Monitor that moving the recycling bins will increase the number of residents who know about the service.
While Grenz has no official role at the Boulder transfer site, she has taken it upon herself to help collect recycling in Jefferson County. In December of 2013, Grenz approached the county commissioners asking them to address county recycling needs after ANS, a recycling service, went out of business. When Grenz saw that the commissioners had not gotten a container for plastics, she began collecting the material at farmers’ markets and continues to do so at her home.
Myers hopes to further expand the recycling services in Jefferson County by adding collection containers for glass and plastic; however, he said this would have to come in the future due to high costs. At the moment, one recycling bin costs $20,000, an expense Myers said would take years to recuperate. “It’s just not cost effective,” he said.
Jefferson County Solid Waste profits very little—if at all—from offering recycling services, but Myers still thinks it is important. The county breaks even from recycling cardboard and loses money recycling tin cans. Despite the deficit, the county continues offering recycling as a convenience to the public to reduce the amount of refuge that enters the landfill. “I’m all for it. If people want to recycle, I want to give them the option to recycle,” Myers told the Monitor, adding that it was better to lose some money recycling than to see the material enter the landfill. Most of the cost associated with recycling results from transportation expenses in a rural county, Myers said.
Although recycling is expensive, it significantly reduces the amount of waste that enters the landfill, according to Myers. Jefferson County residents send approximately 450 tons worth of garbage to the landfill each month. “Our landfills are overflowing and they’re filling up really fast,” Myers said.
To help improve recycling services, Grenz and Myers request that residents place materials in the proper containers. The recycling facility will charge an additional fee if other items, such as plastic bags or tin foil, are in a container. Grenz said she was “happy to pay to [her] taxes for a thing like this,” but wants to avoid incurring extra charges such as these. “Why recycle if you can’t do the job right?” she asked.
Currently, only the Montana City, Boulder and Whitehall transfer sites have recycling bins. Providing this service at the Jefferson City, Clancy and Basin transfer sites would require larger locations, Myers said. The Clancy transfer has a cardboard recycling bin.
Situated next to the recycling area at the Boulder and Montana City transfer site is a “re-use it” or “free” space where county residents can leave items in decent condition for others to claim. These spaces prevent larger, usable items from entering the landfill and Myers encourages residents to take advantage of it; however, he discourages people from leaving items such as mattresses in this area.
The Boulder transfer site is open Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Patrons need a residential permit or special use permit to use the location’s services.
In the spirit of reducing, reusing and recycling, The Boulder Monitor has extended a challenge to all of you. We want you to tell/show us how you reuse or recycle your weekly edition of The Boulder Monitor. The three best ideas will receive a subscription renewal! Submit your recycling projects to eliza@boulder-monitor.com by July 5 for consideration. Winners will be announced July 13.
