Every month Edgewater’s 55+ residents embark on a field trip to learn something new about the world around them while engaging with their peers. In honor of Earth Month, April’s trip was all about how we can reduce our environmental footprint, and our residential waste, with an exciting behind-the-scenes tour of Republic Services Recycling, the provider of Edgewater’s recycling service.
During the tour, the group learned about the Northwest Denver facility and how the recycling process works at that specific location – from pick-up, to processing, to re-manufacturing. Attendees also received an invaluable refresher on how to recycle and what to recycle. Some top tips shared during the tour include:
Know What to Throw
- Cardboard (flattened), paper (not shredded), metal cans, plastic bottles and jugs (with lids on, preferably, but we found out if the lid is missing you should still recycle the container).
- Empty. Clean. Dry.
- Keep all recyclables free of food and liquid.
- Don’t Bag It
- Never put recyclables into bags or boxes. Everything should be loose in the recycling collection bin.
- Plastic bags, plastic wrappers, or flexible plastic packaging. These are too thin to recycle so recycle them in your home or try returning them to your local grocer.
What Not to Throw
- Yard clippings or organic materials like food scraps
- Greasy, soiled, or wet paper or cardboard.Think pizza boxes, to-go coffee cups
- Styrofoam
- Electronics, batteries, or light bulbs
- Diapers
- Clothing or toys. Take them to a donation drop off – recycling facilities cannot process these items
- Tools. These should be given away or thrown away, not placed in your recycling bin as they ruin the machines
- Construction materials. Think lumber, wood, bricks
- Needles and medical supplies. These can cause serious damage to workers as they become projectiles as they go into the machines.
After the tour, the group enjoyed lunch at Westy’s Café to discuss what they learned and the recycling how-to tips they wanted to share more broadly with the Edgewater community. For more information about sustainability in Edgewater, contact the City’s Sustainability Coordinator, Shaima Shahbaz, SShahbaz@EdgewaterCO.com.
