Now Accepting # 1 - 7 Plastic Bottles and Tubs in your Curbside Recycling Bin!

After 20 years of having to answer with a disappointing “no,” Eco-Cycle will finally answer “yes” to one of our longest-standing, most frequently-asked questions: “Can I recycle my yogurt and dairy tubs at the curb?” Yes. Yes you can. That feels good to say, and even better to do. Go ahead and try it... after you read a few of these basics about the new program.

 

 

What plastics can we recycle at the curb?

We will now accept all plastic bottles, tubs and screw-top jars numbered #1 - 7 (see the examples above).

But wait! Don’t get too recycling happy and throw all plastics in the bin. Please just give us those #1 -7 plastic bottles and tubs and help us keep these important NOs out of the bin.

What plastics are not accepted?

No plastic lids, caps or pumps: Whether or not your caps or lids have a number or a recycling symbol, they are not accepted and are not recyclable. Lids, caps and lotion or soap pumps are significant contaminants, both on and off the container. Please continue to toss them in the trash.

No plastic bags: Plastic bags are by far the WORST contaminant in the recycling bin. Please do not put plastic bags in your bin and please do not bag any materials. Clean, dry and empty plastic bags with #2 or #4 can be recycled at the CHaRM or at participating grocery stores. Plastic bags collected at the curb get caught in our sorting equipment, cost our program money and are not recycled.

No foam: While white foam cups and containers often have a #6 on the bottom, they are not a recyclable plastic. These products can be easily avoided for their safer, reusable or recyclable counterparts.

No #7 PLA bottles or containers: It couldn’t be as simple as ALL #1 - 7 plastics, could it? The broad #7 category was designed as a catch-all for polycarbonate (PC) and “other” plastics. Unfortunately, new compostable plastics, made from bio-based polymers like corn starch, are also thrown into this category and labeled with a #7. But, you can tell them apart from their petroleum-based relatives because compostable plastics ALSO have the initials PLA on the bottom near the recycling symbol. Some may also say “Compostable.” Please look carefully for that coding, and if you see it, you have the green light to toss the container, not in the recycling bin, but in your COMPOST collection bin. PLA is NOT recyclable, but it IS compostable.

For more recycling guidelines, check out the Dirty Dozen most UNwanted contaminants in single-stream recycling and download a new single-stream recycling guidelines poster.

Why did the guidelines change?

Due to recent hikes in the price of oil and increasing global competition for materials, off-shore market demand for recycled plastics has increased. Social and environmental conditions at these overseas facilities have improved as well. This means while most of our plastic bottles with a #1 or #2 will continue to be marketed domestically whenever possible, we now have the opportunity to accept some additional plastics that have been so difficult to recycle for so many years.

What plastics are accepted at drop-off centers?

Recycling guidelines at the drop-off centers in Boulder and Broomfield Counties have NOT changed. To learn what's accepted in your town, select your town from the drop-down menu at the upper right of this page. Download a comprehensive list of the materials accepted, as well as drop-off center locations and hours, from the latest Eco-Cycle Times newsletter.

Why avoiding plastic still beats recycling it

While many plastics are now recyclable, Eco-Cycle encourages recyclers to avoid plastics and all other packaging as much as possible. Over the past 45 years, single-use packaging, especially plastic packaging, has increased by more than 10,000%!
Simply recycling these products does not negate the environmental damage done when the resource is extracted or when the product is manufactured.

When you do buy plastics, know that all plastics are not created equal; some are far more problematic than others, both in manufacture and in use. The numbers and letters on the bottoms of plastic containers indicate resin types and hold the key to knowing the most important plastics to avoid.

Download this "Pocket Guide to Plastics" to learn which
plastics are safer than others, and then share it with a friend!

 

How can I get more information?

Eco-Cycle created new recycling guidelines for single-stream recycling and these new plastic materials. Click on the poster to download and print.

Download the latest recycling guidelines in our newsletter, the Eco-Cycle Times. The pull-out section shows all the materials accepted for recycling, plus tips for how to prepare your materials, drop-off center locations, and much more.

Back to single-stream recycling guidelines

Back to recycling at home

Back to business recycling