The Town of Vail’s biannual Hard to Recycle event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1 at the Ford Park parking lot. The Hard to Recycle event will collect electronic waste, batteries, yard waste, household compost and pumpkins, and offer paper shredding services. The event will also collect clean and dry soft plastics such as plastic bags; white, clean rigid Styrofoam packaging from appliances; and white, clean Styrofoam coolers. 

The town’s recycling event is free for Vail residents and property owners, as well as for those who work in Vail. Charges may apply for excessive volumes. No commercial collections will be accepted. 

Electronics, including computers, printers, televisions, phones, household batteries, and small appliances, will be recycled with Blue Star Recyclers from Denver. Paper will be shredded by Alliance Moving from Gypsum. Yard waste and household compost will be taken to the Vail Honeywagon Organics commercial compost facility where it will become compost. Galvanize Recycling from Colorado Springs will collect the soft plastics and white, rigid Styrofoam packaging material.

The following items will not be accepted at this event: fire detectors, fire extinguishers, tires, biomedical waste, explosives, Styrofoam packing peanuts, cups and food packaging, large appliances, or anything with refrigerant or freon.  

The current national recycling rate is 32%. Colorado has a 15.3% recycling rate and Eagle County has a recycling rate of 31.5%. In 2023, Town of Vail achieved a 36% recycling rate, but still has work ahead to increase the diversion of recyclable and organic material and become a zero waste community. At Hard to Recycle events in 2023, Vail was able to recycle over 30 tons of otherwise hard to recycle materials, making a large contribution to the total. 

This event is funded by fees remitted to the town from the “kick the bag habit” program. With the implementation of the statewide Plastic Pollution Reduction Act in 2023, all retailers in Vail are required to charge a 25-cent per bag fee for customers who choose to opt out of reusable bags. Retailers remit 40% of the collected fees to the town, which fund several waste diversion initiatives, including the hard to recycle events and composting programs. 

It is illegal in the State of Colorado to dispose of electronics with regular trash. This event provides an opportunity for residents and employees of Vail to responsibly dispose of this type of waste free of charge. 

For additional information, contact Katherine Blocker at 970-479-2211 or at kblocker@vail.gov.