Recycling Services
Curbside Recycling is available in Creede, South Fork, Del Norte and Monte Vista. MDS provides those who choose to recycle with a 96 gallon, rolling container in which you place co-mingled recyclables for every other week pick-ups.
Recycling Advice
Flatten all cardboard boxes
Empty all food and liquids
Ensure aerosol cans are empty
Leave lids on plastic containers
You No Longer Have to Sort – To prepare your items to be recycled, please rinse out containers to remove as much of the food residue as possible. No need to discard plastic lids and caps on plastic bottles but please discard pumps on bottles. In addition, please make sure there are NO PLASTIC BAGS mixed in your recyclables.
Here is a list of acceptable items that can be “Co-mingled” in one container
* Newspaper (including inserts)
* Corrugated Cardboard (FLATTENED)
* Office Paper
* Mixed Paper
* Chipboard (Cereal and Tissue Boxes)
* Brown Paper Bags
* Phone Books
* Plastic (#1 – #7)
* Aluminum
* Steel or Tin Cans
* Empty Aerosol Cans
* Glass Bottles and Jars
* Aluminum Foil
* Pie Tins
* Detergent Bottles
* Plastic Milk Jugs
* Magazines
* Bulk or Junk Mail
* Aseptic Packaging (Milk and Orange Juice Cartons)
* Mixed Rigid Plastics
* Styrofoam (NO styrofoam peanuts)
Here are some more helpful hints when deciding whether you can recycle the item:
Plastic — Only recycle plastic bottles and tubs. This is typically a #1 through #7
plastic and only pertains to the bottles and tubs. Please do not add clamshell
containers or #7 PLA compostable plastics. No need to remove the screw tops on
the bottles. In addition we accept the larger what are known as “mixed rigid
plastics.” These are the larger toys and buckets.
Here are some examples of plastics that are okay to recycle:
_ Soda, water, and juice bottles
_ Liquid detergent and other cleaning supply bottles
_ Condiment bottles (ketchup, mustard, etc)
_ Milk jugs and orange juice jugs
_ Shampoo bottles and liquid soap dispensers
_ Peanut butter jars (please rinse out)
_ Butter and Yogurt tubs
_ Large toys
_ Plastic Lawn furniture
_ Plastic buckets (with metal handles removed)
Plastic Items NOT accepted:
_ NO PLASTIC BAGS
_ NO clamshell or “to go” plastic containers
_ NO plastic egg cartons
_ NO six-pack ring holders
_ NO plastic forks, spoons or knives
_ NO #7 PLA compostable containers
_ NO plastic syringes
_ NO packing peanuts
Steel – Please make sure any aerosol cans are totally empty. This would include containers such as shaving cream and hairspray cans. Labels are okay.
Cardboard – Make sure to flatten cardboard. No wax-lined cardboard is accepted in the recycling mix.
Brown paper bags – NO PLASTIC BAGS
Chip or Paperboard – This type of material includes items such as:
_ Cereal boxes
_ Soda carrier boxes
_ Tissue holders
_ Other food boxes such as popcorn or microwave food boxes (not the cooking sleeves)
_ Paper egg cartons are okay
_ Paper towel and toilet paper tubes
Newspaper – We accept the entire newspaper including the inserts and ads
Office Paper – All types of office paper are accepted. If you can tear it, we can
take it. All colors are fine as well. Don’t worry about paperclips, staples, tape,
and sticky notes. These are all okay in the mix. NO TYVEK (polyethylene fiber)
plastic, over-night mailing folders.
Bulk or Junk Mail – This material is okay as well. Do not worry about any
stamps or staples or sticky notes in this material, either. Remember, if you can
tear it, we can take it. Again, NO TYVEK (polyethylene fiber) plastic, over-night
mailing folders.
Magazines, Catalogs, Phone Books – Please discard plastic bags around these
items and items such as CDs and magnets. Everything else is okay.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY HAZARDOUS OR BIO-HAZARDOUS WASTE
PRODUCTS SUCH AS NEEDLES AND SYRINGES AS WELL AS USED
MOTOR OIL PLASTIC BOTTLES
WE DO NOT ACCEPT USED PAPERTOWELS AND NAPKINS
WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY CERAMICS OR PYREX CONTAINERS ALONG
WITH NO WINDSHIELD GLASS
The following items should NOT be recycled
Plastic Bags Batteries or Light Bulbs
Styrofoam Peanuts
Hazardous Materials (Needles)
Plastic Shrink Wrap Ceramics
Plastic Containers marked as “PLA”
Compostable Plastic Containers