2926 tons of recyclables were shipped from the Durango Recycling Center in 2002. Thousands of trees have been saved through Durango's paper recycling efforts, along with substantial quantities of nonrenewable resources, such as bauxite, which is used to manufacture aluminum; and sand, soda ash, and limestone, which are the main ingredients of new glass.

Holiday Collection Schedule

CURBSIDE COLLECTION - How It Works
If you live in a single family dwelling or duplex, you should have a blue recycling bin. The bin holds three brown paper grocery bags side by side for separation and storage of recyclables. Place the recycling bin next to the curb (away from cars and bushes, please) by 8:00 a.m. of your usual weekly sanitation collection day. Placing the containers out on the morning of collection will help reduce blowing, broken and wet materials. If your trash is normally picked up in the alley, your recyclables must still be placed at the curbside. If your household generates more recyclable material in a week than will fit in the bin, you may set it out for collection in your own containers adjacent to the blue bin. The blue bins are our clue to stop at your residence. Check this web site, the newspaper, radio, or Channel 10 for public service announcements for any changes in the regular collection times.

In order to reduce the number of stops by our recycling crew, please set out the bin only when it is reasonably full. Bins remain the property of the City of Durango and are assigned to each address, so if you move, please leave the bin. Broken bins can be exchanged at the Public Works Department.

PREPARING YOUR RECYCLABLES
If your recyclables are not properly prepared, they won't be collected in the curbside program and they'll create problems at the drop-off stations. Please adhere to the following instructions:

CANS

• All aluminum and steel cans and lids are collected.
• All foods must be rinsed out, but labels may be left on.
• Please pinch the open end of all "tin" cans so that aluminum cans cannot slip inside of them.
• Empty aerosol/paint cans are acceptable
• Metal jar lids and bottle caps may also be included.
• All other types of metal scrap are prohibited.

• All colors and types of glass.
• Please rinse and remove all metal.
• Brown bottles must be recycled separately.
• All other colors (clear, green, blue, ceramic) may be combined together.

• Newspapers and all its supplements, light colored office paper, junk mail and magazines may be recycled together.
• Click here for more information on mixed paper guidelines.
• Telephone books are collected separately at each of the drop-off sites.

• Must be corrugated cardboard. That is, it must have a wavy center section between inside and outside layers.
• Corrugated cardboard may be dropped off at the Durango Recycling Center Monday-Friday from 9:00 to 3:00 and on Saturday from 10:00 to 2:00.
• Flattened corrugated cardboard is also collected at the curb when cut to a size no larger than 2'x2' and placed under your blue bin.
• Brown grocery bags can be recycled with the corrugated cardboard.
• Other types of cardboard, such as shoe and cereal boxes, six-pack holders, waxed cardboard, and egg cartons are not accepted.
• No waxed cardboard is allowed.

1. Durango Recycling Center, 710 Tech Center Dr.
2. Behind the North Main City Market, 3100 block of East 2nd Ave.
3. Fort Lewis College Physical Plant, 1000 Rim Dr.

PRECYCLE TO REDUCE
You can decrease the amount of waste your household generates by selective shopping known as "precycling." Try to buy items packaged in materials which are recyclable in Durango's program. Also look for products with the least amount of packaging and those that contain recycled materials. Buy items you regularly use in bulk quantities, rather than single use sizes, and purchase durable goods that can be reused instead of disposables. Making conscious decisions while you shop will prevent excessive materials from getting into our waste stream.

IN YOUR BACKYARD
If you have space in your backyard, you can further reduce your "waste line" by composting leaves, grass cuttings, and even some food waste, instead of leaving it all for the trash collector. Composting, part of the natural decay process that creates fertile soil, has been used by farmers for thousands of years. Please contact the City Public Works Department at 1235 Camino del Rio to obtain a book about composting, get plans to build your own bin, and/or learn where you can purchase a bin.

SPRING AND FALL CLEANUP
Spring and Fall Cleanups occur at set times of the year within the City. Please separate all limbs, leaves, brush, and bare wood construction waste from other refuse for these collections. Limbs and brush may also be taken to the Bayfield Convenience Center during the summer. These yard wastes, together with Christmas trees, are shredded into mulch and are available to area residents, rather than being landfilled.

CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING
The City of Durango, La Plata County, the Town of Ignacio and the Town of Bayfield join together to offer a variety of options for Christmas tree-cycling. Collected trees are not landfilled, but instead are chipped into a mulch that is made available to local residents.

Christmas trees must be cleaned of all decoration including tinsel, garland, bows and nails. Only natural Christmas trees, wreaths and boughs are accepted. Please do not deposit trash at the Christmas tree drop-off sites. Trees commingled with refuse renders them unusable for mulch.

For the public's convenience, designated tree drop-off sites are open from December 26, through the third week of January. The Christmas tree drop-off locations are:

In the City of Durango:

• In the parking area at the north end of Folsom Park, located off of Folsom Place, which is the first street on the left after Riverview Drive when driving northeast on Florida Road. For more information, please call 375-4800.

• In the parking lot between the Rodeo Grounds and the County Shop. For more information, please call 884-9545.

• On the lot on the south side of Becker Street, directly south of the high school. For information, please call 563-9494.

• On the lot at the intersection of Highway 160 and C.R. 141 (Wildcat Canyon Road).
• At the Bayfield Convenience Center on C.R. 223 (limited hours).
• At the Marvel Convenience Center on C.R. 134 (limited hours).

In addition, the City of Durango has curbside tree pickup for their residential refuse customers during the first full week January. Trees should be laid on their sides near the property's front curb. They will be picked up on the same day as trash and other recycling that week. For information, please call 375-4800.



MULCH
The City of Durango sells wood chip mulch, which is created from Spring and Fall cleanups, Christmas tree collections, and pruning done by the City's arborist division. The average size of a wood chip is about 3 inches.

Also available is glass mulch, which is similar to pea gravel. It does not have sharp corners and generally has a light green sparkly appearance. Smaller sizes of the glass are available. The clear and green glass mix is collected from recyclable glass.

RECYCLING SAVES!
Recycling saves money... saves energy... saves space... and saves natural resources. It's economical, ecological, easy and effective. Communities from coast to coast are moving toward recycling, because these savings pay off close to home.

Recycling saves resources. Recycling conserves natural resources like forest lands and reduces the need for mining and drilling activities that can disrupt habitats.

Recycling also helps save a different kind of resource, the quality of our air and water. Using recycled materials creates less pollution than starting from scratch with raw materials.

Recycling saves energy. Using recycled materials requires far less energy than using raw materials. For example, making a can out of recycled aluminum takes only 5% of the energy needed to make an aluminum can from raw material.

Recycling saves landfill space. Recycling reduces our reliance upon landfills.

Recycling saves money. With waste management costs skyrocketing, recycling makes economic sense because whatever Durango recycles, it doesn't have to pay to bury.



COMMERCIAL AND MULTI-FAMILY RECYCLING
In the U.S., over 38% of municipal solid waste is paper and paper comprises 70% of the waste stream in a typical office. Improving the environment can be as simple as cleaning out a file cabinet or asking your tenants to recycle all those ads and catalogs they get each week. Papers from your building or office can be an important resource for mills that make recycled paper products. For every ton of paper that is recycled, 7 trees are conserved and 3 cubic yards of landfill space are saved! The City of Durango ships the mixed papers which are collected from our area to a mill in Arizona that uses 100% recycled papers as feedstock to make new newspaper.

If you have City water or sewer service, your building is eligible for recycling collection service.

• Mixed papers, mixed cans, glass and corrugated cardboard are collected.
• Mixed papers are collected on Mondays and Thursdays.
• Mixed cans are collected on Tuesdays.
• Mixed green and clear glass is collected on Wednesday.
• Brown container glass is collected on Friday.
• Corrugated cardboard may be picked up three times a week. Flattened corrugated cardboard and brown grocery bags may not be included in the paper mix but are collected separately from businesses on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The City provides containers for the collection of recyclables. The collection containers may not be stored within public rights-of-way.

• For paper, cans, and glass, the containers are blue plastic ones similar to those used for garbage collection, which are picked up with fully-automated equipment.
• Corrugated cardboard containers are rectangular metal "dumpsters" painted blue.
• Materials collection within each building is the owner or tenant's responsibility.

City staff will meet with building renters and/or employees for a brief orientation prior to beginning the program in order to review the materials, methods and times of recyclables collection. Interested parties should call 375-4830 to set up an appointment to discuss the program further.



FEES FOR THE RECYCLING SERVICE
Monthly charge for mixed paper or mixed can collection service for multi-family complexes which do not have their refuse collected by the City and for all business:

Monthly charge for recyclable paper or can collection service from multi-family complexes which also have refuse collected by the City:

Monthly charge for corrugated cardboard collection service:

There is an additional $3.00 per month charge if a locking mechanism is necessary on the cardboard container in order to reduce contamination of the recyclable materials by other individuals.

Smaller quantities of corrugated cardboard may also be picked up without using a dumpster for a fee of $6.00 per stop. Call 375-4830 to make arrangements for collection.

Collection is not enough. Unless we continue to support markets for recycled products, there will not be a reason to collect waste paper or other items. Successful recycling means a commitment to purchasing recycled products as well as collecting them. Each business can take an active role in closing the recycling loop by purchasing supplies made from recycled items.