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More Items are Being Recycled at the Landfill

More items are being kept from a long, lingering life buried in the ground at the Larimer County Landfill and instead are being used in the manufacture of new products.

This month, the landfill introduced a program to recycle tires and also added a large bin to collect scrap metal for recycling.

“We’ve been separating and recycling appliances for years,” said Robert “Dane” Nielsen, landfill manager, “and have accepted some scrap metal along with them. The difference is that now we have a designated bin just for scrap metal and can emphasize that more.”

Under contract with the Larimer County Solid Waste Department, Colorado Iron and Metal, Fort Collins, periodically hauls off the metal and appliances for recycling.

Fees are charged to landfill customers who bring these items: $22.00 for appliances with Freon (which covers handling and Freon removal) and about $5.04 per cubic yard for other items.

Fees are also charged for dropping off tires at the landfill, but as of July 1, tires are now kept separate from regular trash and also sent off for recycling. The fees range from $4.00 to $18.00 per tire, depending on its size. Front Range Tire Recycling, Sedalia, is the contracted tire recycler. This program comes on the heels of a new law passed by the Colorado legislature that makes it illegal to bury residentially generated tires, used motor oil and lead-acid batteries in any landfill in the state. The landfill continues to offer free motor oil and battery recycling for residents, as it has for many years.

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