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RECYCLING GUIDELINES
PLASTIC RECYCLING GUIDELINES
RESPONSIBLE RECYCLING
- REDUCE CONSUMPTION OR RECYCLE MORE?
THE
DIRTY DOZEN: SUMMIT COUNTY'S MOST UNWANTED MATERIALS!
RESPECT
YOUR COMMUNITY RECYCLING SITE
DOWNLOAD
SUMMIT COUNTY LANDFILL'S 2011 BROCHURE FOR CURRENT LANDFILL
PRICES AND HOURS
HOLIDAY RECYCLING GUIDELINES
||Recycling Guidelines.JPG)
A
printable version of the 2011 Recycling Guidelines is available HERE.
Haga
clic aquí para información en español.
Summit County recycling drop-off centers are
open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
CLICK HERE FOR A MAP AND DETAILED DIRECTIONS OF THE SUMMIT COUNTY RECYCLING DROP-OFF LOCATIONS
Frisco Recycling Center - next to the Colorado State Patrol at the County Commons,
off Highway 9 just south of Frisco; open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Breckenridge Recycling Center- County Rd 450, at the corner of 7-Eleven on the north
side of town, ¼ mile on the left; open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Dillon
Recycling Trailer - Dillon Town Hall parking
lot, U.S.
Highway 6, turn on to Lake Dillon Drive, ¼ mile on
left (cattycorner to the Dillon Post Office).
NEW Summit Cove Mobile Recycling Trailer- starting Monday, December 5, 2011, a mobile recycling trailer will be stationed in the north parking lot at Summit Cove Elementary School. You can drop off mixed glass, paper, and containers for FREE the first week (Monday through Sunday) of every month at the Summit Cove recycling trailer.
For more information, please contact the High Country Conservation Center at 970-668-5703.
Check-out the latest article on the state of recycling in Summit County...
Click
here to see a Guide
to Recycling Codes that answers "What
Do Recycling Symbols on Plastics Mean?" From recycling
number 1 to 7, decipher the recycling codes and find out
what plastics are recycled into
Plastics Recycling Guidelines
Summit
County Drop-Off Centers accept only #1 PETE bottles (neck and screw top bottles only)
and #2 milk jugs and solid colored bottles in the plastics
recycling bins.
Download
an Informative Guide about the New Plastics Changes
Download
The Big Picture of Recycling in a Mountain Community (PowerPoint
PDF)
Download
the Dirty Dozen - Summit County Drop-Off Center's Most Unwanted
Materials
Acceptable #1 (PETE) plastic
bottles include water, soda, salad dressing, and mouthwash
bottles, for example.
Acceptable #2 (HDPE) plastic bottles include milk jugs,
juice bottles, bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles,
and shampoo bottles, for example.
The drop-off centers no longer accept #2 tubs and #3
through #7 plastics, including containers, bags, and trays. No more tubs? Find out how to make your own
yogurt and say goodbye to plastic tubs - click
here!
 
Why
can’t we recycle as many different types of plastics
as we used to?
The plastics industry designed
various types of plastics including hybrid plastics without
regard for recyclability. Simply put, there aren’t
reliable collection and processing systems for number 3
through 7 plastics.
- Plastics have Marginal &
Questionable (Environmental) Benefits: Compared
to other recyclables, plastics don’t have as many
energy savings or raw material savings. All plastics (#1
- 7) are about 4% of the recycling stream in Summit County.
Plastics #3-7 are only 0.78% of our recycling stream.
This little sliver as shown in the pie chart may seem
small but plastics have huge economical and environmental
impacts.
When you consider how plastics are made - 80% of virgin
plastic resin is made from natural gas in the U.S. then
shipped to China to be manufactured and then shipped back
to the U.S. to be sold and then shipped back to China
to be recycled and remanufactured - you start to understand
why our community needs to focus on alternatives to recycling
plastics. Our priorities have always been to use funds
and energy to maximize both waste diversion and environmental
benefits. We can better use our resources to make a greater
environmental impact.
- Number #3-#7Plastics are not a lot by Volume: Only about 12% of our waste stream is made up of plastics.
Of the 12%, only 20% is made up of #3-7 plastics.
- Lost Revenue in Devalued Materials: Mixed plastics (#1-7) are economically unsustainable to
recycle. By recycling 1-7 mixed plastics last year, the
County recycling program made 70-80% (about $30,000) less
than what they would have made if they collected only
#1 and #2 bottles.
- No Local Markets for #3-7 plastics: Our
Plastics are Going to CHINA: There must be a market for
a material to be recycled. Right now, there are no local
markets for #1-#7 non-bottles and bags. Most #3-#7 plastics
are actually going to China to be remanufactured. The
bad news is that China does not have human & environmental
regulations like we do in the US and there are few ways
to track what really happens to recycling. The responsible
thing to do is to use local markets, not to ship our resources
overseas.
The reason that corrugated cardboard, newspaper, #1 and
#2 plastic bottles, etc., are commonly collected materials,
is that there is a recycling infrastructure—processors
and manufacturers—who want these materials and make
them into products that are sold for profit and sold locally.
Without this infrastructure—or market--recycling
cannot be sustained.
- Be a Smart Consumer! Precycle first
and tell manufacturers to take responsibility for their
unrecyclable plastics & packaging.
Think Big Picture!
Download
"The Big Picture of Recycling in a Mountain Community"
- Compost It: If you really want to
divert materials from the landfill, composting organics
is far more effective than recycling plastics #3 - #7.
Organics (including yard waste, food waste, paper, paperboard,
and wood waste) make up over 65 percent of the waste stream!
Plus, organics break down anaerobically (without oxygen)
in a landfill environment contributing to large amounts
of methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than
carbon dioxide. By keeping organics out of our landfill,
you help combat climate change!
- Support Take-Back Programs: You may
have noticed that plastics are everywhere - plastic bags,
plastic bottles, and plastic packaging. In Europe, manufacturers
are required to take back plastic packaging. Isn’t
it time for manufacturers to make product stewardship
a priority? Take-back programs give manufacturers the
physical responsibility for products and/or packaging
at the end of their useful lives. Support policy change
for take-back programs; tell manufacturers to take back
unrecyclable packaging and dispose of it properly.
- Precycle It: Plastics are a consumption
problem, not a recycling problem. Recycling does make
a difference by saving landfill space, conserving energy,
reducing pollution, and saving resources. However, recycling
should be the last step in the process if you think about
it. Precycling allows you to reduce your garbage by not
purchasing it in the first place. It is also a great way
to use your dollar as your vote. As a consumer, you can
choose not to buy products wrapped in non-recyclable packaging.
Precycle first; recycle and compost what remains.
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Responsible Recycling
Reduce Consumption or Recycle More?
Food for thought... check out these excerpts
from Low-Fat Recycling from The Journal of
Municipal Solid Waste Professionals by Josephine Valencia
(to read the entire article, please click here):
What
are the real costs? “Without firm knowledge
of the recycling activities in which we engage, we are absolved
of consequences. Recycling feels good, and perhaps we don’t
really want to know what happens to this stuff. By occasionally
recycling, we alleviate our environmental conscience and
abstain from the need to learn more about the process.”
“The best use of a material always depends on how
you define your objective. Recycling has become so common
in our society that we have lost track of what we are trying
to achieve. We often aren’t asking what makes the
most environmental sense. Even if we took the time to ask,
there is no simple answer to that question. To paraphrase
Tip O’Neil, all garbage is local. In the United States
we have fostered the principle that more recycling is the
answer, and this belief is the foundation for many regulatory
and social decisions. As we continue our focus on recycling,
we sometimes ignore other possibilities that may have their
own environmental benefits.
There hast to be a local market! "Some
items are collected for recycling even though they have
no economic markets in this country and are shipped overseas
for processing. Some items collected through recycling could
potentially be dangerous or expensive to process in this
country, and once again they are shipped overseas. In both
instances, we ignore the environmental cost of transatlantic
shipments, as well as the environmental practices of the
receiving country. Unfortunately, that ignorance has an
environmental price. We are often exporting materials to
countries that have lax environmental regulations compared
to our own."
“While dropping commodity prices have certainly affected
the entire industry, companies that are producing a clean
product are still able to find buyers. Though profits are
less than before, the demand for high-quality products has
not completely been eliminated. Single-stream recycling
collection is a growing trend on a nationwide basis, but
the quality issue may pause the expansion. In single-stream
collection, all recycling materials are mixed together in
one container, typically a rollout cart that is emptied
with either a semi- or fully automated vehicle. The result
is a less-clean product, especially as it comes to paper.
Chips of broken glass become embedded in the paper and reduce
the marketability of both the glass and the paper. Recycling
companies that can offer the cleanest and highest quality
product have the best chance of continued profitability.”
“For recycling to be economically feasible, there
has to be a market into which the collected materials can
be sold, and there also needs to be a market willing to
purchase the items as raw materials for their products...
We
must close-the-loop! "By mandating the purchase
of products with recycled content, or by requiring a minimum
amount of recycled materials in manufactured products, the
federal government can help stimulate the buy-recycled loop.
There has been a lack of research and development in this
country devoted to recycling technologies. Too often, foreign
countries have been willing to assume this burden, alleviating
us of the need. As a result, we are dependent on them to
process our materials.”
From manufacturer to consumer, we are all responsible! “Product stewardship is another area that
may have large rewards for the environment. This pollution-prevention
movement involves all the stakeholders of a product, including
manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and government officials.
All parties are encouraged to look for opportunities to
minimize waste and reduce potential environmental liability.
Product stewardship is a voluntary approach that has its
origin in the regulatory aspect of extended producer responsibility
(EPR). EPR is common throughout much of the industrialized
world, with the exception of the United States. It requires
manufacturers to take responsibility for the entire life
cycle of their products, including disposal...”
Additional Resources:
Closing the Loop: Guide to Packaging Material Flows and Terminology
A Publication of GreenBlue
This informative guide defines the major packaging materials (aluminum, glass, steel, plastic, and paper) and introduces the various terms and synonyms that are applied to the materials during the life cycle phases of production, use and collection, and reprocessing in effort to solve communication issues among packaging designers, consumers, and recyclers.
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Download
the Dirty Dozen - Summit County Drop-Off Center's Most Unwanted
Materials
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Please respect YOUR community recycling center!
1). No Illegal Dumping!!! Illegal dumping and contamination of the recycling bins increases the overall cost to recycle and it jeopardizes many aspects of our community recycling program. From mattresses to paint to TVs to carpets, illegally dumped items at the drop-off centers have increased costs to manage the FREE, public drop-off centers over the past few years. Offenders intentionally leaving materials that are not accepted could be cited and fined. Signs will list materials that are not accepted (see #2).
2). Read the recycling
signs carefully - they are there for a reason and
yes, it really does matter what you throw in the bin! Some
of the bins have moved around at the drop-off centers and
recycling signs have changed. Please don't risk recycling
contamination - read the signs.
3). Remember to
turn off your engine while you recycle - the recycling
center is a No Idling Zone. Idling is bad for our lungs
and the environment. It also wastes gas! Turn your car off
and enjoy the financial and environmental savings.
4). Styrofoam is
NOT recyclable at the drop-off centers - do NOT
throw peanuts, ice chests, containers, cups... made of Styrofoam
into ANY of the bins. Not only does it contaminate recycling
streams, it blows around the recycling center and litters
our walkways and surrounding forests. No matter what number
it has, it is not accepted at any of the drop-off centers.
Click here to get the Facts on Styrofoam!
5). Please EMPTY
liquids and quickly RINSE food containers - Food
contamination can inhibit the recycling process and even
devalue recycling loads. Want to recycle? You have to rinse!
We’re not asking you to wash your recyclables in the
dishwasher. Simply pour out food containers and quickly
rinse. It’s important to save energy too!
 
2011 Summit County Recycling Guide
MATERIAL |
YES |
NO |
MIXED PAPER
|
Newspapers
& Inserts;
White &
Light Colored Office Paper; Envelopes; Notebook Paper;
Magazines; Phone Books
Staples,
Paper Clips, Tape OK |
Neon
Colored Paper; Tissues; Napkins; Paper Plates or Cups;
Brown Paper Bags; Cardboard; Paperboard (Cereal Boxes);
Plastic Bags |

#1 PETE - CLEAR
PLASTIC BOTTLES ONLY!
|
Soda bottles & water bottles
labeled with a #1 only!
PLEASE EMPTY
LIQUIDS & QUICKLY RINSE FOOD CONTAINERS |
Yogurt or Butter Tubs;
Styrofoam;
#1 - #7 NON-Bottles,
#3 - #7 plastics
of any kind;
PLASTIC BAGS (including Ziploc bags, bubble wrap,
packaging, Visqueen or Saran wrap) |

MILK JUGS &
SOLID
COLORED
BOTTLES ONLY!
|
Milk jugs, detergent bottles,
and shampoo bottles labeled
with a #2 only!
PLEASE EMPTY
LIQUIDS & QUICKLY RINSE FOOD CONTAINERS |
Yogurt
or Butter Tubs;
Styrofoam;
#1 - #7 NON-Bottles,
#3 - #7 plastics
of any kind;
PLASTIC BAGS (including Ziploc bags, bubble wrap,
packaging, Visqueen or Saran wrap) |
MIXED
METAL CONTAINERS |
Aluminum
Cans; Aluminum Foil & Pie Plates; Tin Cans |
Scrap
Metal |
CARDBOARD & PAPERBOARD
|
Cardboard;
Paperboard
(cereal boxes
& six-pack containers);
Brown Paper
Bags. Staples & Tape OK;
PLEASE FLATTEN |
Milk
or Soy Milk Cartons;
Wax-Coated Cardboard;
Other Paper |
MIXED GLASS
|
Bottles
& Jars;
Clear, Yellow,
Green, Blue Colors |
Window
Glass; Drinking Glasses; Pyrex; Ceramic Dishes |
BROWN GLASS
|
Bottles
& Jars
Be a good
sort – please separate your brown glass! |
Window
Glass; Drinking Glasses; Pyrex; Ceramic Dishes |
BATTERIES
|
Please
sort into marked bins: Alkaline; Rechargeable;
Lithium Ion; Lead Acid Batteries (Auto, Marine, Computer
Back-up Units) |
Other
Household Hazardous Waste |
USED MOTOR OIL
OIL
FILTERS
ANTIFREEZE |
As of October 21, 2009, oil, antifreeze, and oil filters must be taken to the recycling facility at the landfill in Keystone!
|
Oil, oil filters, and antifreeze are no longer accepted at drop-off centers and must be taken to the recycling facility at the landfill.
Motor oil
containers are NOT RECYCLABLE; please dispose of with
household trash. |
SCRAP METAL
|
Available
at FRISCO AND BRECKENRIDGE DROP-OFF CENTERS ONLY. |
Appliances,
propane tanks, fuel tanks, barbed wire, 55 gallon
drums, batteries, household electronics, computers
or TVs. |
Appliances: accepted at Summit County landfill. Appliances $10 each up to 2 appliances - 3 or more appliances charged as scrap metal rate ($40/ton, $20 minimum). Call first 468-9263 x 0. Coolants in fridges and a/c, etc. must be removed by a certified technician and proper documentation provided at check in.
Electronics: $8 per monitor; $8 per CPU; $13 per TV (TV's greater than 25" will be charged at 20 cents a pound); $13 per large printer
or scanner. Large loads of electronics will be weighed at 20 cents per pound. NEW* All Samsung electronics will be recycled FREE of charge. Please keep Samsung products seperate from other electronics upon delivery. All other nonhazardous electronics such
as VCRs, phones, coffee makers, fax machines, cell phones,
and small printers are FREE to recycle at the Recycling
Facility at the landfill in Keystone. Dependent upon Summit
County Landfill hours (Weekdays 7am-4pm).
Please call the Summit County Allocation Park (SCRAP) for current landfill prices at 970-468-9263 x 0..
Household Hazardous
Waste (HHW) – accepted at Summit County landfill.
HHW program is open for collection April 1st - October 31st M-F from 7am - 3:30pm. The HHW program is available by appointment only November 1st - March 31st. Learn more on our HHW page or call 668-5703.
Includes paint, pesticides, mercury containing devices,
fluorescent bulbs, chemicals, cleaners, sealers.
Skis & Poles – seasonal collection. Call for status of program
(668-5703).
Christmas Trees – Dec.
26th-Jan. 31st
This year each town has a place to recycle Christmas
trees. Please make sure all ornamentation, including tinsel,
is removed. The locations are marked with signs and are
as follows: Breckenridge- at the Slash Drop on Wellington
Road; Frisco- at the Marina in the empty lot to the right;
Dillon- at the Dillon Town Hall lot; and Silverthorne- across
from the second Three Peaks Entrance. Trees may also be
taken to the Summit County landfill’s wood waste drop off
area. Call 668-5703 for detailed directions to the locations.
Slash & Wood
Waste –Accepted at SCRAP. Must be separate loads for lower rates - raw dimensional lumber only - no creosoted, painted, stained or treated lumber in construction wood - no plywood or OSB. No trash or other construction debris. No metal hardware. Contaminated loads charged at loose trash rate, along with applicable surcharges and additional hauling fees. Slash and stumps must be separate lodas for the lower rates (no dirt, rocks, or trash in load). Contact SCRAP for more info at 970-468-9263 x 0.
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||Holiday Recycling Guidelines
Did you know Americans create 25% more trash during the holidays? Holy Holiday! Click here for a special Holiday Sort Guide for info on how to sort wrapping paper, cards, and other holiday recyclables.
Below are a few tips and resources to help you have a waste free holiday season.
- When wrapping paper can't be reused any longer, recycle it! Click here for the Holiday Sort Guide.
- Choose reusable alternatives to wrapping paper including the Sunday funnies (comics), maps, fabrics, blueprints, or cloth gift bags
- Avoid dark-colored or fluorescent holiday cards. If a card contains too much dye, it can't be recycled. When you rip the card, if you see white fibers along the rip, it's recyclable. If the dye goes all the way through, it's not recyclable.
- Reuse wrapping paper, ribbon and bows
- Recycle your holiday light strings at Leadville True Value and recieve $3 off a single receipt in-store purchase of LED Christmas lights! Or, you can bring your obsolete incandescent light strings to HC3's office at 518 Main St. from 9-5 Monday-Friday for recycling.
- Corrugated cardboard (even if it's shiny) can be recycled at all local recycling drop-off centers (see below for directions)
- Give green gifts like reusable bags, stainless steel water bottles, and reusable snack packs. Pick-up green gifts at Eartha's Green Shop!
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