YOUR AD HERE »

Glenwood Springs to offer free waste dropoff options for Earth Day

Some services provided include electronic waste, hazardous waste, lawn waste disposal

Jennifer Prosser drops off cardboard and other recyclables at the Glenwood Springs recycle center.
Chelsea Self/Post Independent

Used electronics, jugs of old gasoline and dead leaves rarely make a good combination, but on April 16, Glenwood Springs is asking residents for all three and more in celebration of Earth Day.

While the city has previously offered some waste management services to mark the holiday, Public Information Officer Bryana Starbuck said this is the first year Glenwood Springs is celebrating with a dedicated event.

“It’s a really good opportunity for us to bring together various areas of waste management,” Starbuck said, “and celebrate what we as a city can do to help out the planet.”



Glenwood Springs residents are invited to drop off their electronic waste, or e-waste, and hazardous household goods free of charge April 16 at the Community Center, 100 Wulfsohn Road.

“In Colorado, state law prohibits landfills from burying e-waste, which is TVs, cell phones, CD players, anything with a hard drive, and many other types of electronics,” said Liz Mauro, Glenwood Springs landfill manager.



Rather than investing in electronics recycling infrastructure directly, the city contracts the job out to Blue Star Recyclers, a Denver-based recycling company with a facility in Basalt.

Residents can pay for the service any regular operation day at the city’s downtown recycling center, 102 13th St., or at the South Canyon Landfill, but during the Earth Day event, the city is providing the service free to a limited number of city residents.

“It’s on a first-come, first-serve basis with a cap,” Mauro explained. “The city allotted $1,000 for the event, which could cover about 2 cubic meters of e-waste.”

Public Works Director Matt Langhorst said Glenwood Springs has recycled e-waste since 2013, and the city provides the service to residents at a cost that covers collection alone.

Glenwood Springs resident Gene Trauger dumps out a load of plastic recycables at the Glenwood Springs recycle center.
Chelsea Self/Post Independent

“We want this to be as cheap as possible for people, so it’s basically a break-even program,” Langhorst said.

Residents who show up after the predetermined cap has been reached and those who live outside city limits can still bring their e-waste to the event, but they will be charged a fee for disposal.

Hazardous waste disposal, however, is scheduled to be free to city residents throughout the event.

“Anything that’s flammable or toxic: herbicides, pest poisons, paint, fertilizer, old gasoline — that’s all hazardous waste,” Mauro said.

Langhorst added, “If you shouldn’t pour it down the drain, you should probably bring it.”

Radiator fluid and used oil will not be accepted during the event, but Langhorst said city staff will be on hand to help people figure out where they can take hazardous materials not accepted by the program.

The service is only free to city residents, but non-city residents can drop items off at a rate $2 a gallon. All materials should be housed in 5-gallon containers or smaller, and only private residents can use the event’s disposal service.

April 15-17, residents can drop off brush, leaves and lawn trimmings — no larger than 3 inches in diameter — for collection at the old rodeo fairgrounds on Airport Road.

Dropoff is free but only open to city residents. Commercial operators are not permitted to use the collection site, a news release states.

Mary Carnevale drops off a container of cardboard and other recyclables at the Glenwood Springs recycle center.
Chelsea Self/Post Independent

Leaves can be dropped off at any time of day, but city staff request residents remove them from plastic bags and ensure the leavings are free of stones, litter and large branches.

“We’ll collect those piles, grind them and use them in our mulch or compost programs at the landfill,” Langhorst said.

In previous years, Glenwood Springs offered a landfill voucher to city residents who called and requested one, but this year, Langhorst said the city decided to simply mail a single voucher to every household within city limits.

“We want to make using the landfill as easy and accessible as possible, and we’re hoping this goes a long way toward encouraging Glenwood Springs to use the facilities we have available,” Langhorst said.

The voucher provides residents with one free dropoff at the landfill, sized up to a regular pickup truck load, not including e-waste, Starbuck said.

City residents with P.O. Boxes, who did not receive a voucher, can call Glenwood Springs Executive Administrative Assistant Sara Weigel at 970-384-6449 to request one.

Acceptable voucher materials include household garbage, leaves, furniture, mattresses, or brush. The voucher expiration date is June 30. Contact Liz Mauro at 970-945-5375 for questions about acceptable materials.

Recycling and proper waste disposal is essential to preserving the environment, but Starbuck said the event has more to offer than just a few waste services.

“If you want to just drive through and drop off your items, we can do that,” Starbuck said. “But for residents who want a little bit more, we’ll have kids’ activities, a food truck and information booths about the city’s various waste management programs.”

Rolling Fork food truck will be on hand to feed hungry participants, and Parks and Recreation put together a collection of Earth Day themed crafts and activities for children who attend the event, she said.

At the information booths, attendees can learn about dog waste removal, energy sustainability and Vision Glenwood, the city’s public engagement platform for its comprehensive plan update.

If you go:

What: Glenwood Springs Earth Day celebration

When: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 16

Where: Glenwood Springs Community Center, 100 Wulfsohn Road

Cost: Mostly free to city residents

Reporter Ike Fredregill can be reached at 970-384-9154 or by email at ifredregill@postindependent.com.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.