ALLENSPARK - On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Boulder County’s Zero Waste team hosted a meeting at The Old Gallery in Allenspark. Presenters included Zero Waste Program Manager Michal Duffy, Chandra Valenza, Derek Kinch, and Scott Touminen. 

The “Trash Talk” presentation covered the recent changes at the Allenspark Transfer Station. The presentation also covered “bin anxiety,” helping residents determine what is recyclable and what is not. 

In order to stay committed to Boulder County’s zero waste management strategy, the Allenspark Transfer Station has been under construction, receiving much-needed upgrades. 

Along with the construction came a temporary trash and recycling location just a few feet away from the permanent one. The temporary location, with its awkward parking and extra distance to bins, added to the challenges the Allenspark community is now experiencing. 

However, upon the conclusion of improvements at the transfer station, residents will be better served. The improvements include bigger space for a ground-level cardboard compactor and trash bin. Stairs and an ADA ramp will lead to the single-stream, or commingled, recycling bin. 

Residents will notice a new “hard to recycle” staging area, and a mattress and boxspring drop-off. The County will also plant new trees to replace any that were cut down during construction, making the new site visibly appealing.

Kinch and Touminen are two Boulder County employees helping run the local transfer station and they had a lot to share about the challenges of their jobs. The County asked Kinch and Touminen to double-check recyclables for the past three weeks.

What they found was, on a daily average, 40 gallons of trash mixed with recyclables. The big deal? It’s unsafe for the men and women in Boulder whose job it is to separate the items; real humans sort through items, not robots or machines. 

Waste found in recycling ranges from dog hair and diapers to food scraps and other unmentionables. When workers ask to check recyclables, remember – they “are not being rude. They are doing their job.” 

 To help make things easier on themselves and the County, residents should follow these rules:

• All recyclables should be a minimum of two inches, including lids and paper.

• Metal lids less than two inches can be recycled with scrap metal.

• Do not recycle neon papers.

• Recyclables should be empty, clean, and dry.

• Metal lids should be removed from glass jars and placed in the recycling bin as separate items.

• The exception for lids includes milk cartons; keep the lid on and do not crush.

• Only recycle plastic numbers 1, 2, and 5.

• Do not crush cans or plastic; keep them whole.

• Avoid throwing glass, so that no one gets hurt during sorting.

• Scrap metal should go inside the scrap metal container.

• Break down cardboard boxes

• Recycle appropriate styrofoam that breaks when bent. Other styrofoam is not recyclable.

• Clean aluminum foil should be rolled into two-inch balls.

• Practice “When in doubt, throw it out.”

The recycle symbol is unregulated, allowing companies to place the symbol on anything, causing confusion and frustration. Cardboard is the only true universally recyclable item. Plastic packaging bags, bubble wrap, and peanut styrofoam can be taken to a UPS store for recycling. 

Items that are not recyclable include:

• Paper towels

• Napkins

• Facial tissues

• Plastic kitchen utensils

• Clothes hangers

• Coffee and latte cups

Boulder County hopes to conclude construction by the end of November. New 

Allenspark Transfer Station operating hours are being considered in order to allow employees a healthier work-life balance.

The number of hours the transfer station will be open each week will remain the same, with only opening and closing times changing. There are no plans to change trash fees. 

Boulder County is working hard to practice zero waste, and the changes taking place at the Allenspark Transfer Station are proof that to Boulder County, “zero waste” isn’t just words on paper but a commitment to the community and the planet.

To learn more about Boulder County’s Zero Waste Program, visit 

https://bouldercounty.gov/environment/recycle/resource-conservation/zero-waste/. You can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bouldercountyrecycles or call them at 720-564-2220.

For a map of Boulder County’s hard-to-recycle drop-off locations, visit https://bouldercounty.gov/environment/recycle/recyclerow/. For an A-Z recycling guide, visit https://ecocycle.org/guides-and-resources/popular-tools/a-z-recycling-guide/.