RCD Highlight

For this newsletter, I’d like to reflect on all the awesome things we did this year. The picture of me above was taken after I got to read a recycling book at the Meadows Branch Library earlier this year.

In February, a few of our staff were integral to passing Senate Bill 25-163 for battery stewardship. Starting in 2027, battery producers must join and fund approved stewardship organizations that manage battery disposal, while retailers will be prohibited from selling batteries not covered by such programs. The initiative aims to reduce environmental harm and increase public awareness through free collection sites and outreach efforts.

In April, all educational displays at the recycling center were updated to be bilingual in both English and Spanish. This was an important project to ensure our Spanish-speaking community members can be confident recyclers. 

In August, Kate Fitzpatrick painted an absolutely stunning mural in our Education Room. We are so grateful to Street Wise Arts for facilitating that process and helping us find the perfect artist.

In September, a rain garden was installed in the front lawn of the recycling center’s administration building, 1901 63^rd St., Boulder. What once was grass is now a stormwater-filtering, native bee-friendly, low-maintenance rain garden. A big thanks to Larkspur Landscaping for making this garden come to life.  We are so excited to see how all the beautiful plants bloom this Spring.

In November, the “Reuse Barn” at the Nederland Transfer Station got up and running. This barn serves as a more formal way to collect residential reusable materials and allow them a new life with someone else.

Lastly, I’d like to highlight the recycling center tours I have conducted this year. I provided 74 tours to 1,169 tour attendees. Of those attendees, 421 were students in kindergarten through 12th grade. These tours are where behavior change happens, and I couldn’t be more proud to know we’ve helped 1,169 more people become better recyclers.

Resource Highlight

‘Tis the season for the EcoCycle Holiday Guide! Check it out for zero-waste holiday tips, where to recycle holiday items, and where to drop off your Christmas tree after the holidays.

Educational Resources

I have two educational resources for you in this newsletter.

The first one is the Boulder County Office of Disaster Management (ODM) Resource Library. I’m including this resource because, as you probably know, it is very dry and often quite windy in our state right now. Unfortunately, fires are now a year-round concern. This resource library from ODM includes many helpful links, including a Disaster Preparedness Checklist and Pet Preparedness details.  Although it can be challenging, having conversations with your family members and neighbors about these plans is helpful in case you need to use them.

The other resource I have for you is more fun; Colorado Parks and Wildlife has an events webpage with different outdoor events throughout the state. This is a fabulous resource If you need ideas for things to do this Winter break!

Odds and Ends

Our facilities will be operating on holiday hours for the next few weeks. Please note that this list is only for days off that are not already scheduled.

• Boulder County Recycling Center
  • No Self-Guided Tours on Thursday, Dec. 25, and Thursday, Jan. 1
• Hazardous Materials Management Facility
  • Closing at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 24
  • Closed Dec. 25-26
  • Closing at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 31
  • Closed Thursday, Jan. 1
• Allenspark Transfer Station
  • Closed Wednesday, Dec. 24
• Nederland Transfer Station
  • Closed Thursday, Dec. 25 and Friday, Dec. 26
  • Closed Thursday, Jan. 1

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