- December 9, 2011
- 1 Comment
Eco-Cycle is one of the largest non-profit recyclers in the United States, based in Boulder, Colorado. And they don’t just recycle—they also educate people about recycling and the environment, and are moving their community toward zero waste.
Toward Zero Waste: In Boulder
The philosophy of zero waste is largely about preventing stuff from ending up in landfills. And it’s also about redesigning products and product packaging so it can be reused, repurposed and otherwise end up anywhere except a landfill. Moving toward zero waste is a beginning-to-end process…and Eco-Cycle is doing their part to educate their community (and the world) about it.
In addition to their recycling center and curb-side pick up, Eco-Cycle also provides:
- Award-winning educational programs for elementary school students about recycling and the environment
- A Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM)—a facility that recycles items that are typically hard to recycle, like computer monitors, cell phones, cooking oil and yoga mats
- Thorough info on their website about what can be recycled, reused or composted (and what can’t) as well as a guide for eco-living
Toward Zero Waste: In Mexico
Eco-Cycle’s impact isn’t just in Boulder. At a past class of Unreasonable Institute fellows, Luis Duarte, an entrepreneur from Mexico, worked and consulted with Eco-Cycle to better understand how to move Mexico—where only about 3% of material is recycled, compared to a 50% average for most developed countries—toward zero-waste. His venture, YoReciclo, is already working with businesses and schools to increase recycling in Mexico. In Duarte’s Unreasonable Institute talk, he discusses more about how he partnered with Eco-Cycle.
Want to find out more about Eco-Cycle (and pick up a recycling tip or two, no matter where you live)?
ecocycle.org
Like Eco-Cycle on Facebook
Follow Eco-Cycle on Twitter
Image via Pylon757 under Creative Commons license, Image courtesy ecocycle.org
Considering my propensity to recycle anything and everything which can be reused, the Eco-Cycle business is top-notch in my book. Very few people give real thought to the repercussions of our wasteful habits. There is no magic place where our trash goes so that it’s never seen again. All of our waste continues to pile up and up, especially the industrial variety (washing machines, refrigerators, computers, printers, etc). What kind of future are we paving for future generations?