W8 UPDATE / 28 June 2013
with the young ambassadors from Finland
by Ulla Lange, interior designer
On June 25th I took my 12 Young Ambassadors from Finland to find out more about Boulder County’s unique approach to trash management. We visited Eco-Cycle’s facilities CHaRM and Boulder County Recycling Center, conveniently accessible mostly through the extensive and beautiful city bike paths. Bikes were provided by Boulder B-cycle—thank you James Waddell and team! What a great way to travel around town without using one’s car.
What we learned at CHaRM (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials)
- it was the first recycling facility of its kind in this country
- a new law that bans electronics disposal into landfills takes effect July 1, 2013
- their e-Stewards certified partner in electronics recycling guarantees that no waste is just dumped into the third world
- old sinks and toilets can be ground up and used for road base
- inner tubes from bikes get upcycled into bags and other accessories by local company Green Guru (we’ll visit them next week!)
- their Microbe Brew (made from worm poop!)
- and…that you can recycle yoga mats here – only in Boulder!
What we learned at the Boulder County Recycling Center
- recycling is not just about reducing landfill waste, it’s about saving natural resources
- shredded paper must go into compost, NOT into commingled bins with regular paper
- aluminum cans or plastic bottles should not be flattened
- plastic bags can wreak havoc if mixed in with commingled recyclables, they should be dropped off at grocery stores or reused
- recycled milk bottles make yarn used in carpeting and fleece fabrics
- glass collected here is reused to make bottles at Coors Brewery in Golden
