Background on waste disposal in Boulder county
Surely by now you’ve seen the brightly colored signs plastered above the recycling and compost bins all over CU Boulder’s campus. You may even roll your eyes when you see them, thinking what kind of dummy needs a poster to tell them what to recycle? Unfortunately, that dummy is probably you or someone close to you. You could be unknowingly gumming up the waste management process, making tons of extra work for the people who sort your waste for a living.
What have we tried so far?
Some misinformed folks think that recycling is a scam, and that every “recycled” material in Boulder is actually just being shipped off overseas where it will sit in a warehouse or landfill until the end of time. But Boulder county’s chosen recycling program, Eco Cycle, has been partnered with domestic agencies that refine and remanufacture specific materials since 1976. Eco Cycle has to pay for everything they send to landfills, so the incentive is pretty high for them to have well sorted, usable materials. For CU Boulder, this means frequent and accessible recycling and trash bins that are brightly colored and clearly labeled, often with posters guiding you on which bin to toss your trash in.
Why isn’t it working?
I’m inclined to blame the hubris of man, but realistically, it’s because the rules around recycling are confusing. If we take a look at Eco Cycle’s “Dirty Dozen” list, we gain some insight on where people get confused the most. The most common contaminants (things that don’t belong in the recycle bin but still get tossed there) include plastic bags, especially trash bags that are used to contain your recyclables. According to Eco Cycle’s website, the trash bags make it way harder to sort the different types of recyclables contained within, and they can jam machines at the recycling center. Other popular offenders include shredded paper, plastic lined paper products, flattened cans and containers, and styrofoam packaging. I can see how these can be easily confused as recyclable items, especially to the average boulder citizen just trying to throw out their waste without spending extra time sorting through and double-checking every material. The truth is, not every house or apartment complex has big, colorful signs specifying every material that can be recycled, and people can’t be expected to inherently know the ins and outs of recycling without being educated on the subject.
What can we do now?
The obvious answer is to start teaching people local recycling rules. Teaching kids how to recycle sets them up for success in the long term and is relatively easy to implement. For everyone not currently enrolled in K-12 education, things get a bit trickier. Mailing pamphlets with easy to follow “cheat sheets” for recycling is a good way to spread awareness, but the people of Boulder have to want to learn how to properly recycle, or else they just won’t do it. As the saying goes, you can lead a Boulderite to a recycling bin, but you can’t make them care.
