SustainAbility Recycling: Good for People, Good for the Environment

By Bette Erickson

A truly sustainable and socially-conscious recycling facility is open in our community.

Of course, most all recycling facilities are socially-conscious and operate sustainably. What makes SustainAbility Recycling unique, however, is its commitment to not only Zero-Waste, but its employment of individuals who have developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Some estimates show that adults who have developmental and intellectual disabilities have an over 70% unemployment rate in Colorado.

“The state of CO has a recycling rate of only 16 percent. We offer the community affordable recycling options to help people live more sustainably, and recycle/reuse before sending materials to the landfill,” explained Rachel Nathan, SustainAbility Director. “Our Broomfield drop-off site accepts 20+ hard-to-recycle items that you cannot place in your curbside recycling bins, or bring to a traditional recycling center, such as electronics, styrofoam, plastic bags, and books.”

The organization partners with environmentally responsible downstream recyclers for all focus materials who hold either eStewards or R2 certifications.

Recycling is great, but what about junk that is not recyclable? Unlike SustainAbility Recycling, 1-800-GOT-Junk offers pick-up and haul-away services. Junk removal is available for your home or business including offices, retail locations, construction sites, and more. Pricing is based on how much space your unwanted items take up in the truck, starting with a minimum charge of 1/8th of a truck all the way up to a full truckload (equivalent to eight standard size refrigerators). For more information, or to book your free onsite estimate, visit www.1800gotjunk.com.

It is important to make the distinction between hard-to-recycle materials and traditional curbside recycling. Most post-consumer items such as milk jugs, peanut butter jars, and newspaper are made of a single material, which makes them easy to recycle. However, thousands of other items exist that are made of multiple materials, such as CDs, VHS tapes, and fire extinguishers. At SustainAbility, these types of hard-to-recycle items are collected and sent to downstream recyclers who are able to separate the different materials and recycle them.

Reuse is another important concept that SustainAbility incorporates into their model. Materials such as shoes, candle wax, and eye glasses are collected at their sites and donated to local partners for reuse in the community. SustainAbility Recycling is recognized by the State of Colorado as a Large Quantity Handler of Universal Waste.

While dropping off materials at its Zero Waste Center, you will likely see one of the many dog helpers who come to work with their humans.

Follow SustainAbility Recycling on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. For more information or to contact SustainAbility Recycling, visit www.sustainability-recycling.com or call 303-425-9226.

Bette Erickson writes about people, places, and events. Contact her at bette_erickson@hotmail.com.

The Broomfield location of SustainAbility is at 11811 Upham St. #5A West. Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday. Call 303-425-9226 for more information.

The $3 entrance fee covers Hard-2-Recycle (H2R) items and the opportunity to drop off reuse items.

Visit the website for more information: www.sustainability-recycling.com/copy-of-hardto-recycle-arvada and choose the Broomfield tab.

Three Reasons to Recycle Old or Unwanted Paint

1. Someone else can use it. Latex paint can be reprocessed and made back into a new recycled product.

2. It prevents hazardous chemicals from entering the environment. When paint dries in a landfill, it produces gasses called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These vapors create ozone - a large contributor to smog.

3. It conserves resources. Latex and oil-based paints are created using plastics and oils that take far less energy to simply reuse, than gather new.

Source: SustainAbility Recycling