Recycling & Waste Management

Eco-Cycle Guides & Resources

Eco-Cycle launched recycling in Colorado in 1976, and today is one of the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit recyclers and a leader of the Zero Waste movement.

Eco-cycle offers a variety of downloads, videos, guides and research to help you reduce, reuse, recycle, and more. Their most popular resources will you learn about, implement, and advocate for Zero Waste policies and practices. Explore their educational resources, reports, guides and more to help you attain your recycling, composting, and Zero Waste goals in the Eco-cycle Resource Library

Zero Waste Tools

Eco-Cycle builds Zero Waste communities that promote circular economies. Learn more about their work to advance Zero Waste policies, programs, and infrastructure!

Whether you’re new to Zero Waste or a seasoned practitioner, we have the info you need to live more sustainably. Learn the best tips for reducing waste in the first place, easy life hacks for reusing, and even how to rid your mailbox of junk-mail waste you don’t want and never asked for. For those in the Boulder County area, we have guides, games, and apps to keep you in the know on the many local resources we have available to recycle, reuse, and compost.

Zero Waste resources produced by Eco-Cycle staff are free to download and distribute. From printable guidelines to their one-of-a-kind recycling app, you don’t want to miss these Zero Waste tools.

Reduce Your Plastic Use and Improve your Health and the Environment

There has been a lot written about plastic lately. Not only is it harmful to the environment but overwhelming studies are finding plastic harmful to your health. Consider these facts;

Plastics production produces 14 percent of toxic air emissions in the U.S., and each plant emits an average of 300-500 gallons of contaminated wastewater per minute. (It’s Easy Being Green book)
100 million plastic bottles dumped in US every year. Each bottle will take over 1,000 years to biodegrade. (SIGG)
BPA (a plastic hardening agent prevalent in bottles, cups and lined tin cans) is so prevalent in food packaging and other consumer items that prior research has detected its presence in at least 90% of Americans. A group of 20 San Francisco residents had 66% less BPA in their urine after three days on a diet of fresh, organic and unpackaged food, scientists found. (Silent Spring Institute)
500 billion plastic bags or wraps are thrown away in America each year and are created with 12 million barrels of oil. (DropthePlasticBag.org)

Find out the facts about plastic for yourself with these resources;

Plastic Disclosure is a great website that offers facts and information about the harmful effects of plastic.

GreenBiz released this article a few weeks ago about the plastic use in corporations.

New York Times released this article on the issue of plastic and waste

If you want a more lighthearted approach, view the movie Bag It, that was released early in 2011. It discusses all the issues with plastic. For a review, go to this blog entry.

Conduct Your Own Trash Log

I just finished a week long trash log. This is an exercise I ask of my clients and thought I better to do it myself. I wrote down each and every piece of trash that I had and what I did with it– recycled, composted or re-used or discarded.

Then, with items I had to discard I wrote down alternative options for the future. Although I consider myself a trash ‘connoisseur’ I discovered through this exercise even how I can get better with my own waste. If you haven’t done it yet, I would highly encourage anyone to track their trash for a week.

You will discover not only how much trash you really do accumulate but you will gain more consciousness before throwing it away. I’d love to hear your experience of conducting a trash log.

PH: 303-517-5300 | Email: greenme@eco-officiency.com