Recycling

Date posted: 09/29/2009

The Larimer County Recycling Center is located next to the Larimer County Landfill at 5887 South Taft Hill Road in Fort Collins. The Center has been operated for the County since 1995 by Waste Management, Inc. Larimer County funds the operation of the Recycling Center through sales of recyclable materials and landfill dumping fees.

Trash pick-up services in Fort Collins and Loveland provide curbside recycling programs for residents to dispose of recyclable materials. For residents in smaller communities that do not provide curbside service, Larimer County also operates five rural recycling drop-offs. The rural recycling drop-offs are located in Berthoud, Estes Park, Red Feather Lakes, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Wellington.

The Larimer County Recycling Center accepts two types of recyclable materials: co-mingled containers (plastic, steel, glass, and aluminum) and paper products (newspaper, magazines, poster board, corrugated cardboard); if dropping off materials at the Recycling Center, information on how to separate recyclable materials is available at the Larimer County Recycling Center website. Although primarily designed to serve curbside collection programs, the site will also process uncontaminated (cleaned and properly separated) commercial loads from businesses and materials taken to the facility by individuals.

What this chart shows: Total Tons of Processed Recyclable Materials, Larimer County Recycling Center - 1999-2008

Data Source: Larimer County Department of Solid Waste

See data table

What these data tell us:

From 1999 to the peak of recycling in 2007, the total tonnage of recyclable materials processed at the Larimer County Recycling Center increased by 45%. This increase reflects the implementation of Fort Collins' and Loveland's Pay-As-You-Throw ordinances (which require trash haulers to provide curbside recycling and to charge residents by the volume of solid waste). See Additional Information for further explanation of local waste management ordinances.

In 2001, Loveland's trash utility stopped accepting cardboard and other low-grade paper products for curbside recycling, causing a 10% decrease in the amount of recyclable materials processed at the Recycling Center. Recyclable materials processed in Larimer County rebounded in the following years, increasing 34% from 2001 to 2006. Loveland started to accept cardboard and other low-grade paper products for curbside recycling again in February of 2006.

At the beginning of 2008, some recycle commodities were paying high rebates causing municipalities to sell some collected recyclables directly. This was partially responsible for an 8% decline in the amount of materials processed at the Recycling Center. As the economy collapsed at the end of 2008, so too did the prices for recyclables.

What this chart shows: Pounds Per Capita of Processed Recyclable Materials, Larimer County Recycling Center - 1999-2008

Data Source:

• Larimer County Department of Solid Waste - Recycling Statistics
• Colorado Department of Local Affairs - Population Statistics

See data table

What these data tell us:

The per capita measure of recyclable materials processed at the Larimer County Recycling Center reflects a trend similar to the measure of the total tons processed. However, the population of Larimer County has increased every year since 1999. Therefore, the decrease in total tonnage from 2000 to 2002 becomes more prominent when viewed as a per capita measure. Per capita recycling increased steadily (31%) from 2002 to 2007, before dropping in 2008 to close to 2005 levels.

Additional Information:

On Compass -

• Electricity Consumption
• Environment: Quality
• Housing Units
• Natural Gas Consumption
• New Residential Units
• Population Size & Growth
• Solid Waste
• Water Consumption
• Wind Energy Consumption

Outside Compass -

• Fort Collins Municipal Code: Solid Waste Collection and Recycling Services
• Larimer County Ordinances: Licensing of Commercial Waste Haulers
• Loveland Municipal Code

Other Recycling Centers in Larimer County:

• Fort Collins Recycling Drop-Off: In 2002, The City of Fort Collins opened its own recycling drop-off facility, located at 1702 Riverside next to Rivendell School. The facility is open year-round, seven days a week during daylight hours. Follow the link to find out what to recycle and how to prepare your materials.

• Hard-to-Recycle Items: The City of Fort Collins website keeps a list of recyclable items and the area facilities that recycle these items. The list includes items not accepted by curbside or drop-off facilities, such as hearing aids, cameras, Styrofoam, and printer cartridges. Follow the link and click on desired items to find out which facilities accept these items.

• Larimer County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility: The Larimer County Department of Natural Resources runs a collection facility for household hazardous wastes (cleaning fluids, pesticides, motor oil, and others), located next to the County Landfill at 5887 South Taft Hill Road in Fort Collins. The facility also includes a Drop N' Swap program, wherein individuals can pick up and drop off small amounts of household hazardous chemicals for free, using what is already available instead of purchasing more hazardous chemicals. Follow the link for more information on the Drop 'N Swap program and how to identify and properly dispose of household hazardous wastes.

• Loveland Recycling and Yard Waste Center: The Loveland Solid Waste Utility runs a recycling drop-off located at 400 N. Wilson Ave. From April 1 to November 30, the facility is open seven days a week: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the year, the facility's hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. Follow the link to find out what to recycle and how to prepare your materials.

Standards or Targets:

Markets for Recycled Materials

Recycling takes money and energy. Recycling programs are often partially funded by the sale of processed recyclable materials. The prices for these materials are market-driven and can fluctuate based on supply and demand. The profitability and sustainability of recycling programs are affected by these prices.

These sites report on prices for various recyclable materials:

• Conigliaro Industries: MarketWatch-This site, provided by a Massachusetts recycling firm, lists over 150 recyclable materials and their market values. Although prices may reflect regional differences from those in Larimer County or other parts of the U.S., the site offers good comparisons of the values of different recyclable materials.

• Larimer County Department of Solid Waste - Recycling Statistics: Shows a comparison of prices for various recyclable materials as received by the Larimer County Recycling Center.

Recycling and Local Government

• Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources: Information about the department in the City of Fort Collins responsible for solid and hazardous waste management. Contains information about the recycling program.
• Larimer County Department of Solid Waste: Information about the department in Larimer County responsible for recycling and solid waste management.
• Loveland Public Works Department-Solid Waste Division: Information about the department in the City of Loveland responsible for solid and hazardous waste management. Contains information about the recycling program.

Data Tables:

Total Tons of Processed Recyclable Materials, Larimer County Recycling Center

Year	Total Tons Processed
1999	24,316
2000	27,779
2001	24,958
2002	24,863
2003	25,295
2004	26,424
2005	29,267
2006	33,441
2007	35,187
2008	32,247

See chart

Pounds per Capita of Processed Recyclable Materials Processed,
Larimer County Recycling Center

Year	Larimer County Population*	Tons Per Capita	Pounds Per Capita
1999	246,356	0.0987829	198
2000	251,494	0.1097416	219
2001	261,221	0.0955473	191
2002	266,787	0.0931942	186
2003	269,059	0.0940128	188
2004	273,882	0.0964795	193
2005	276,757	0.1057498	211
2006	282,050	0.1185641	237
2007	288,245	0.1220732	244
2008	294,570	0.1094714	219

*Source: Colorado Department of Local Affairs

See chart

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