Not Just a Recycler: Reuse Makes the CHaRM Go Round
Reuse, which comes before Recycling in the EPA’s waste hierarchy, extends the life of an item and the value of the natural resources used to make it. At the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM), we go the extra Zero Waste mile by prioritizing reuse of your unusual materials ahead of recycling whenever possible, creating resource recovery solutions for the community that are even more circular!
If you’ve heard of the CHaRM in Boulder, you already know that we are a collection center for hard-to-recycle materials, and that we recycle.
But did you know that a large part of the circularity and resource recovery offered by the CHaRM facility depends on systems of reuse, not just recycling?
Top Reuse Materials at the CHaRM Facility
BOOKS
At the CHaRM, books stand out as the top item collected with a focus on reuse rather than recycling. Eco-Cycle’s CHaRMed Books Program is a collaboration among many partners, including our Schools and CHaRM/Business departments, a skilled independent bookseller who has helped manage the multi-stage sorting process for incoming books for many years, and a Denver-based vendor that recycles unusable books (those that are damaged or out of date) into cellulose insulation.
Around half of the book donations dropped off at CHaRM are unfit for reuse and get recycled into pulp. Gently used books are put back into circulation at schools and other organizations in Boulder County!
TEXTILES
CHaRM has shifted its approach for textiles—we now serve as a hub for donation of reusable clothing and textiles. We partner with our neighbors on east Arapahoe, local thrift store Pig + Pearl, who evaluate the donations for resale, keeping usable textiles in our local community.
In the past, CHaRM was able to recycle unusable textiles into industrial rags, but unfortunately, those markets have since gone out of business. Currently, we are not aware of any viable textile recycling markets in our region. That could change with the launch of the forthcoming Circular Economy Development Center in Colorado, which aims to bring new recycling end markets to our state.
Of the 10 tons of textiles we receive annually, the vast majority of donations are suitable for reuse, but CHaRM does receive a small proportion of unusable textiles in our collection bin that must be landfilled. We kindly ask that customers do not drop off unusable textile items. Instead, we encourage upcycling fabric scraps, and whenever possible, repairing items to extend their usable life.
BIKES
Eco-Cycle partners with Community Cycles to give usable BIKES brought to our facility a second life. Community Cycles takes bikes to their nearby shop, where they’re repaired and resold at affordable prices as part of their mission to make biking a more accessible, equitable, and sustainable transportation choice. Non-reusable bikes are recycled with scrap metal.
PRINTER CARTRIDGES & FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
For both printer cartridges and fire extinguishers, all drop-offs brought to CHaRM are evaluated for reuse. Units that meet reuse criteria are refilled and recirculated back into their original purpose!
Additional Reuse Opportunities at CHaRM
In addition to the reuse programs above, the CHaRM operations team is always striving to increase reuse solutions, even when small in scale. For example:
- Around 10% of our mattress donations are evaluated as fit for reuse over recycling and are diverted by a local charity benefiting the unhoused community.
- A staff-led pilot project is underway to recover usable cables and wire for resale in partnership with our neighbors at 6400 Arapahoe, Resource Central.
- We are pursuing avenues for the repair and refurbishment of usable electronics with Blue Star, our electronics recycling partner, among other possibilities.
Additionally, our hauling service for businesses will often present new opportunities for reuse in the form of unique material streams generated consistently by businesses, allowing items like milk crates, plastic buckets, and barrels brought in by CHaRM hauling to find new homes in nearby micro reuse markets.
What else happens to materials collected at CHaRM?
Check out our resource, The CHaRMed Second Life of Your Hard-to-Recycle Materials, to learn more, and don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 303-444-6634 or recycle@ecocycle.org with any questions.
