New Technology Helps With Challenges Of High Country Recycling
FRISCO, Colo. (CBS4) - Recycling in High Country communities is not the same as it is for folks on Colorado's Front Range.
That's because a large portion of recycled materials have to be transported down to recycling processing centers in the Denver area. It's a costly and time intensive program.
But the High Country Conservation Center, the nonprofit heading up the efforts to conserve in Summit County, is making the process a little smoother for people on the front end of the cycle.
The group recently released an app called Recycling Robot. It's an online tool that will help residents and visitors figure out if a material can be recycled, composted or disposed of anywhere in the county.
If you're not sure how to properly dispose of something, Rocky the Robot can help.
Visit: highcountryconservation.org/recycle, enter your item and the robot will compute the answer on how to recycle it locally.
From aluminum cans to zip lock bags the intuitive search tool does it all.
"We are really excited to help make recycling easier for both locals and visitors," said HC3's Executive Director, Jennifer Schenk. "The Recycling Robot app allows people to get immediate answers to recycling questions."
Once those items are collected from recyclers, they are sent to the county landfill where they are sorted and sold to the centers on the Front Range.
There isn't a full recycling center along the Interstate 70 mountain corridor, meaning those items are trucked down to Denver. Because of those costs, not all numbered plastics can currently be recycled in Summit County.
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.
