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Rethink Recycling: Changes are Here!

Single-stream recycling arrived in Larimer County with the retrofitting of our recycling center October 3, 2005. What's single-stream recycling? It's a new way to recycle that can make it easier and more convenient for everyone!

Until recently, those of you with curbside recycling were limited as to what materials you could recycle from home, and you had to keep paper recyclables separate from cans and bottles. This is considered dual-stream recycling. In single-stream recycling, you can mix ALL your recyclables (cans/bottles and paper) together, and you can also recycle paperboard (like cereal boxes), corrugated cardboard and office paper at the curb! Can it get any easier?

A word of caution, however. Larimer County has no regulatory authority over what haulers collect. But in the City of Fort Collins, all trash haulers are now collecting cardboard, paperboard and office paper curbside (in the past you had to take these items to a drop-off site). It's still a good idea, though, to call your hauler to find out if you can actually mix everything together or if it prefers to have paper products kept separate. For instance, the City of Loveland, which provides most of residential Loveland's trash and recycling services, is collecting all these materials at the curb, but continues to use its two-bin system (one for paper products, one for cans and bottles). If you live in unincorporated Larimer County and have curbside recycling, it's up to your trash hauler to decide if and when it wants to change collection services. Recycling drop-off sites will remain the same, requiring the sorting of recyclables.

It will still be important to recycle correctly; i.e. there will still be many materials that are not recyclable and should not be put in recycling bins. The current guidelines for what is and isn't recyclable will still apply. Just the procedure (what you can mix together and what can go in your curbside bin) will change.

Call (970) 498-5760 if you have questions. You may also visit www.rethinkrecycling.org for more specific information about recycling in your area.

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