Dear Eco-Monkey >> I’m worried that someone else’s mistakes with recycling are causing my recyclables to go to the landfill. I live in an apartment complex and sometimes I see neighbors throwing garbage into the communal recycling dumpster. Does that contaminate the whole bin and mean that everyone’s recycling (including mine) is going to the landfill? What about recycling at single-family homes? If one household on the block tosses garbage in their recycling bin and it all gets mixed together in the truck, does that ruin the whole truck load?

Thanks, Ally

Dear Ally >> That’s a great question, and the short answer is: Whole truckloads are very rarely landfilled, but individual bins or dumpsters at apartment complexes can be a different story.

When recyclables arrive at the Boulder County Recycling Center, loads are almost never rejected. The only exception is if there is obvious biohazard or medical waste that would put employees at risk, in which case it is immediately hauled away for safe handling.

Generally speaking, if a curbside cart has the wrong materials in it, no, it won’t ruin everything else in the truck. It will increase costs for the recycling facility, both in terms of labor to remove the contaminants and costs to send them to the landfill, but the rest of the neighborhood’s carefully sorted recyclables will still be on their way to market to become something new.

Apartment complexes are trickier. If the contamination in a communal recycling dumpster or bin is truly egregious — think bags of diapers or other biohazards, or a bunch of food scraps — or if the majority of the contents of the recycling bin look more like those of a garbage bin, the hauler may have to collect that bin as trash rather than recycling. And yes, unfortunately, your carefully sorted recyclables would go right along with it.

But there’s something you can do about it — we need people exactly like you. Eco-Cycle’s volunteer Eco-Leader program is made up of people who help their neighbors recycle right by serving as a friendly educational resource for their community. We provide all the training and resources you need. It’s a low time commitment, and you make a big impact right where you live. And you connect with other people who care just as much as you do.

Our Eco-Leader network is now 1,300 strong and is a big reason why Boulder County’s recycling stream is among the cleanest in the country. Every block and every multi-family complex in the county needs an Eco-Leader, so join us!

If that sounds interesting, check out ecocycle.org/get-involved/eco-leaders. See you at our next training!

— Eco-Monkey

Got Zero Waste questions? We have answers! Contact recycle@ecocycle.org or call Eco-Cycle at 303-444-6634.