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1. How do I get a city recycling container:

Contact the Recycling Division at the City Service Center at 970-565-7320 to request a recycling bin.  One will be delivered to your home.

2. How can I further separate my recyclables, & what should I do if I have limited space to store them?

Start small - audit your household and start recycling the one material you produce most.  Then when you are comfortable, begin with another material.  You can use cans, boxes, or bags inside of the bins to hold your materials, separately.  The City of Cortez allows residents to have two of our collection bins.  You may also set out an additional container for recycling, but it needs to remain separated, and preferably labeled as “Recycling” so our refuse collectors don’t throw them away.

3. When is my refuse picked up?

The refuse department picks up refuse daily.  To find out what day your refuse will be picked up, contact the utility billing division at City Hall, or call 970-564-4012.

4. Why the sudden adjustment in our recycling mix?

In August of 2017, China announced to the World Trade Organization that they intended to stop Taking post-consumer materials (recyclables) from the United States and several other countries, due to increased contamination and damage to their own environment from taking contaminated recycling mixes from other countries.  China audited their recycling factories in July and found that most of their factories could not meet their new environmental standards, so they decided to halt imports.

5. Since the City of Cortez has a source-separated recycling program, doesn’t it pay off with us taking extra steps to separate our items?

Yes it does.  Because our residents separate their items, it is much easier for us to move material to market.  In fact, we use Domestic markets whenever possible.  Our collection efforts have been clean and did not in any way contribute to the China situation.

6. If we already use domestic markets whenever possible, then why do we need to separate our recycling even further than we already are?

The estimation on the amount of recycling that the United States moved to China ranged anywhere from 60-90%.  Imagine all the other groups in our nation’s recycling industry trying to find new homes for their recyclables. This potential market glut means that the cleaner and more separated our commodity stream is, the more preferred our recycling commodities will be in the near future. Thus, the easier to move them to that market.

7. Why is it so hard for us to get our recycling to market?

Same as in real estate – Location.  Our location is outside of optimal trucking zones so companies that wish to move material out of this area face what is known as dead-head trucking rates. That means most entities need to pay round-trip shipping if they want to move materials to market.