Five Surprising Items You Can Recycle at the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder CHaRM
From mattresses to glassware, discover five surprising items you can recycle at the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM).
Ever had an item that you knew couldn’t be recycled in your curbside bin, but still wondered, Can this be recycled . . . somewhere?
That somewhere just might be the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM). This first-of-its-kind drop-off recycling and reuse center accepts electronics, appliances, some hard-to-recycle plastics, and other items that don’t belong in your curbside bin—but don’t have to go to the landfill.
Located at 6400 Arapahoe Rd. in Boulder and open Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., CHaRM makes responsible recycling simple. Here are five items you might be surprised to learn can be recycled at CHaRM:
1. Mattresses
Eco-Cycle partners with Spring Back Colorado to recycle mattresses and box springs of all sizes. After collection at the CHaRM, mattresses are transported to Spring Back’s facility in Commerce City where each mattress is carefully deconstructed into its core components by Spring Back staff. Foam and fibers are reused to create carpet padding, while metal is recovered and recycled into new products like kitchen appliances and automotive parts.
Fee: $3 facility fee for cars; $30 per mattress or box spring (covers collection and labor costs)
2. Ceramics and Porcelain
Planning a bathroom remodel? Don’t send that old toilet to the landfill! The CHaRM accepts porcelain toilets, sinks, and urinals as well as ceramic materials like tile and pottery. These materials are crushed into sand and used as road base.
Please make sure all items are free of biohazards and thoroughly cleaned. Save money by removing all fixtures before dropping items off.
Fees:
- Toilets, sinks, and urinals without fixtures: $5 each
- With fixtures attached: $25 each
- General ceramics: $0.10 per pound
- $3 facility fee charged per vehicle
3. Textiles
The CHaRM accepts clean, reusable clothing and paired, reusable shoes. Items are donated to Pig + Pearl, a local thrift store that supports reuse and waste reduction.
Please note that underwear, bathing suits, and socks are not accepted.
Fee: $3 facility fee only, no additional charge.
4. Paper to Be Shredded
Please avoid shredding your paper as it shortens the life of paper fibers (meaning they can be recycled fewer times). But if you do need to shred, take your sensitive documents to the CHaRM intact. You’ll place the paper into a secured, locked bin. Our partner, Altitude DocuShred, will shred the paper onsite to become recycled into products like brown paper bags, toilet paper, tissue, and newsprint.
Fee: $3 facility fee for cars; $5 per file box of shredded paper
5. Glassware
Glass bottles and jars belong in your curbside recycling bin, but other glass doesn’t. Drinking glasses, tableware, vases, and candle holders have different melting temperatures and have to be handled separately. That’s where the CHaRM comes in. We accept these glass items so they can be properly recycled instead of landfilled.
PLEASE NOTE: Pyrex and other heat-resistant glass cookware is not accepted. They’re manufactured to withstand much higher temperatures than everyday glass (which is why they survive the oven)—and that difference makes them incompatible with the recycling process.
Fee: $3 facility fee; No additional charge
The CHaRM accepts dozens of hard-to-recycle household items! See a full list of what we accept (and related fees) here.
Know Before You Go (Hours, Fees, Location)
The CHaRM is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A $3 facility fee is charged per visitor arriving in a motorized vehicle (bikes are free!).
We are located along Recycle Row at 6400 Arapahoe Rd in Boulder, colocated with Resource Central.
If you have any questions about what you can recycle and where, check out Eco-Cycle’s A–Z Recycling Guide (also available as an app)!
