Hard-to-Recycle Plastics You Can Bring to CHaRM All Year Round
Saying goodbye to Plastic Free July doesn’t mean we stop recycling plastics in August. Hard-to-recycle film plastics like bags and bubble wrap, large durable items like buckets, and rigid white block foam (often referred to as Styrofoam) are always accepted at the CHaRM in Boulder if they meet our recycling guidelines.
Let’s face it—despite our best efforts to go plastic-free, sometimes we find ourselves with a plastic bag or some bubble wrap we are now responsible for. A plastic item like a laundry basket we’ve used forever will finally break in a way that doesn’t lend itself to repair. Or we’ll finally upgrade a much-needed appliance, only to find inside the highly recyclable cardboard box there lurks a bunch of blocks of toxic-to-produce expanded polystyrene foam! Are all of these materials destined for the landfill?
Fortunately for those who live within driving distance of the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials, these items don’t have to be landfilled! These plastics can be responsibly recovered and turned into new products.
Plastic Bags and Other Film Plastics
Did you know you cannot recycle plastic bags or bubble wrap curbside? This special collection accepts soft, flexible plastics made from polyethylene (#2 HDPE and #4 LDPE). Items must be clean and dry, be mostly free of tape and labels, and should pass the “poke test” or “rip test.” While this type of plastic is not usually marked with a number, these tests are a good rule of thumb for determining whether your item is made from the right type of plastic for our recycling stream.
Polyethylene is stretchy and tears with a ruffled edge. If you can poke a finger through the material, or it tears raggedly, it is probably the correct stuff. The wrong type of plastic will probably sound crunchy/crinkly, and will tear with a straight edge—a good example is the type of plastic that is used to wrap a bouquet of flowers.
If your plastic will not let you poke a finger through it, it probably isn’t polyethylene (unless it is bubble wrap, an important exception—this is too thick for your finger to pass through but it IS made from polyethylene and is recyclable).
Items recycled in our Plastic Film collection are turned into composite lumber and used to make weatherproof decks and furniture with the help of our recycling partner, Trex.
Large Durable Plastics
Think buckets, milk crates, laundry baskets, lawn chairs . . . items for this stream are bulky, and are usually made from one piece of plastic, or are sometimes hollow with a visible seam where two halves were connected when the item was produced.
To be recycled, these items MUST be made from #2 HDPE or #5 PP plastic only (and should be clearly marked). They must be less than 3 feet in length in every direction; customers may cut larger items down to size before bringing the pieces to the CHaRM facility. Finally, please make sure that all non-plastic parts, including screws, bolts, rope, and fabric, are removed before drop-off. Bucket handles are OK to stay.
We encourage folks to first offer reusable items to our next-door neighbor at 6400 Arapahoe, Resource Central, ahead of recycling. Items recycled in this stream become weather-proof railroad ties and car parts, among other applications.
Rigid White Block Foam (AKA Styrofoam)
Block foam usually comes part and parcel with a new fridge, stove, TV, or other electronic item. This means on top of making a large purchase you now have to deal with your typically landfill-only expanded polystyrene foam (EPS). But fear not—if your foam material is white, clean, dry, rigid (you should be able to break a piece off of it), and you can see round beads of foam in it, we can take it for recycling.
It may or may not have a #6 PS stamped on it. As long as it is not any color other than white, isn’t dirty, comes in blocks or sheets (no peanuts or food packaging, please), and doesn’t have a spongy, squishy texture that resists breaking (which would mean it’s not the right kind of plastic!) . . . then it is most likely expanded polystyrene that we can accept for recycling at CHaRM!
We work with a recycler in Denver to transform EPS into lightweight and affordable building materials. Learn more about our foam recycling program here.
How to Find Us
6400 Arapahoe Rd. in Boulder
Open 9 am–5 pm, Monday–Saturday (follow closure notices here)
ecocycle.org/charm
Our facility is located in Boulder, Colorado, but we are dedicated to serving the recycling needs of all visitors, whether you live in Boulder County, Denver, or beyond. Please do not mail us materials—we only accept in-person drop-offs for recycling.
The CHaRM is owned and operated by Eco-Cycle in partnership with the City of Boulder, and is co-located on City property with another Zero Waste organization serving the community, Resource Central—so be sure to bring along with your plastics for recycling at CHaRM any reusable items for donation to Resource, and plan to take some time to shop the materials reuse yard!
Whether you are a seasoned CHaRMer or this will be your first time visiting, we look forward to helping you go plastic-free, this month and every month. If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected], or call 303-444-6634.
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