Glenwood Springs, CO to Fine Households for Recycling Contamination

Glenwood Springs, Colo. residents will be subjected to fines if their recycling contains contamination.

The city is implementing a Recycling Contamination Fee that will charge households $24 per occurrence of contamination in recycling bins. The fee will only apply to residential recycling bins and dumpsters in Glenwood Springs’ Pay as You Throw (PAYT) program.

“Diverting recyclables from the landfill and maximizing correct recycling are core parts of the PAYT program. We’ve shared guidance on how to properly recycle, and now with this most recent round of education we’re implementing the fee to disincentivize improper recycling,” said Bryanna Starbuck, Public Information Officer. “The fee has always been part of the program, but we wanted to understand issue areas and have a couple progress reports before we implemented the fee.”

Reports have shown that between 14% and 16% of PAYT recycled loads in Glenwood Springs and Carbondale are non-recyclable.

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