HARD TO RECYCLE
The Hard to Recycle Station is an Alliance community resource that diverts hard-to-recycle items from the landfill. We take many common waste items that aren’t accepted by standard municipal recycling systems, then we send them to companies and partners who prevent them from going to the landfill. The Hard to Recycle Station has prevented hundreds of thousands of items from entering the waste stream!
The Hard to Recycle Station is open to the general public Monday through Friday from 9am to 4:30pm. To play a role in waste reduction, drop off your items at the station on the first floor of our building or make a gift to keep the station running.
Note: When we are at capacity, we stop taking items. Please call us at 303-572-1536 to check our capacity before coming on site. Explore other methods for taking charge of your waste here.
HISTORY OF THE HARD TO RECYCLE STATION
Our events manager collected items in a bin under her desk which served as the first iteration of the Hard to Recycle station.
The station expanded into a pilot project that began in the basement of our building.
The Alliance Center backed the Hard to Recycle station and began exploring ways to grow the project.
The station was relocated to the first floor of The Alliance Center with new bins and signage.
We've collected 200,000+ items since this project's inception! You, too, can have an impact by contributing items to the HTR station.
ITEMS WE ACCEPT
We accept a large variety of hard-to-recycle items! Explore accepted items below or download the list of accepted items as a PDF.
BABY FOOD POUCHES
Examples: Beachnut Organics, Earth’s Best, Capri Sun, Honest Tea, etc.
Note: All containers must be empty.
BATTERIES
Examples: AA, AAA, C, D, 9 volt, hearing aid batteries, button cells, etc.
CLEANING PRODUCTS
Examples: gloves, spray nozzles, miscellaneous hard plastics, small rigid plastic pieces, plastic lids, trays, six pack rings, scrub brushes, gift cards, etc.
ELECTRONIC
WASTE
Examples: Cords, laptops, anything smaller than a laptop.
Note: We cannot accept smoke detectors or CO2 detectors. We cannot accept monitors, printers or other large electronics. We recommend SustainAbility and BlueStar Recyclers as alternative options for recycling your e-waste!
FOIL LINED BAGS AND WRAPPERS
Examples: Coffee bags, cracker and chip bags, Emergen-C packets, granola bar wrappers, etc.
HYGIENE AND BEAUTY PRODUCTS
Examples: Deodorant, contact lens containers, make up, razors, lotions, lip stick, oxygen absorbers, perfume containers, loofahs, wet wipe containers, tooth brushes, birth control packets, hand soap dispensers, hair brushes, etc.
Note: All items must be empty.
INK CARTRIDGES
Examples: Cartridges for laser, ink and solid printers for both at-home and commercial use.
LIGHT BULBS
Examples: Incandescent, halogen, compact florescent bulbs (CFLs), etc.
Note: We do not accept broken bulbs. Please only bring bulbs that are intact!
PET FOOD AND TREAT BAGS
Examples: Large plastic pet food bags, foil-lined treat bags, pet food or treats bags that have multiple paper layers on the inside, etc.
PLASTIC BAGS AND LINERS
Examples: Shrink wrap, saran wrap, ziplock bags, bread bags, tortilla chip bags (not foiled lined), cereal bags, six pack rings, flower bouquet wrapping, breast milk bags, boxed wine bags (no cap), etc.
WATER FILTERS
Note: We accept all water filters found in commercial and residential settings.
HYGIENE AND BEAUTY PRODUCTS
Examples: Deodorant, contact lens containers, make up, razors, lotions, lip stick, oxygen absorbers, perfume containers, loofahs, wet wipe containers, tooth brushes, birth control packets, hand soap dispensers, hair brushes, etc.
Important Note: All items must be empty.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THIS STATION
We are honored to offer this free resource to our community, but we need your help to keep this service running!
We suggest making a financial gift of any size to the Hard to Recycle Station each time you make a big drop off. Your gift will help cover staff time required to sort through waste, costs to ship items and general upkeep of the station. You can give virtually using the link below and the QR code at the station or in-person with our staff at the building.
PARTNERS OF THE HARD TO RECYCLE STATION
Thank you to Ridwell for providing ongoing support to this station. It wouldn’t be possible without you!