Hard-to-Recycle Resources in the Denver Metro and Boulder areas
Let's Talk About Roadside Dumping — And What We Can Do Instead
.Ever been driving along the highway and suddenly spot a mattress, old TV, or broken couch just dumped on the side of the road? It’s frustrating—and unfortunately, all too common.
While it's great to clear out clutter from our homes, improper dumping doesn’t solve the problem—it just shifts it onto someone else. The truth is, once we’ve sorted and organized, we’re often left with items that can’t simply be donated or tossed in the trash.
Most donation centers no longer accept things like mattresses or TVs, and these bulky items can be hard to get rid of responsibly. So what should we do?
Leaving them on the curb or along the street may seem like the easy way out—but it’s not the best way. These items end up cluttering our neighborhoods or sitting in landfills for years.
As part of my ongoing mission to reduce waste and protect our environment, I’ve been working to identify responsible disposal options—especially for those tricky, hard-to-recycle materials. Fortunately, our area has several resources available to help us dispose of these items the right way.
It just takes a little extra time and effort. And it makes a big difference.
Let’s keep our streets clean, protect our environment, and take pride in our community.
If you need help finding drop-off locations or recycling resources near you, I’m happy to point you in the right direction.
Listed below are some resources for hard-to-recycle items in the Denver Metro and Boulder areas:
Techno Rescue is a certified electronics recycling service offering a recycling program for all IT equipment, including consumer electronics, computers, medical equipment, and microwaves. Recycling with Techno Rescue is fee-based. The Colorado drop-off location is 3251 Lewiston Street, Suite 10, Aurora, CO. Call 303-482-2207 for more information.
Best Buy offers a recycling program for many hard-to-recycle electronics. For a $29.99 fee, they accept TVs for recycling. Other items (a limit of three per day per household), including cables, DVD/VCR players, headphones, ink/toner cartridges, coffee machines and much more, can be dropped off at no cost.
For older appliances, you can arrange for free appliance pick-up through Solid Waste Management. Call 720-913-1311 for further information and to schedule a pick up.
Denver Solid Waste Management offers large item pick up for no additional fee every eight weeks on designated dates. A maximum of 5 large items from each household will be collected on those designated dates. Be sure to view your area's large item collection schedule online or call 3-1-1. Only set large items out on designated dates; otherwise, dumping will be considered illegal.
Can’t wait eight weeks? Spring Back Colorado has a wonderful mattress recycling program that employs disenfranchised men and women, offering them a safe environment to work while earning a respectable wage. The Denver location has a $30 fee to recycle mattresses of any size. The Colorado Springs location has a $20 fee and offers home pick-up, as well, for an additional fee. You may also consider Early Bird by AmeriSleep; they offer a mattress recycling service: AmeriSleep mattress donation.
Another great resource through Solid Waste Management is this search feature that allows you to type in what you’re looking to recycle, and a list of services and locations will populate! Easy, peasy.
SustainAbility has three locations to serve you. Each location accepts various hard-to-recycle items such as paint, electronics, CDs/DVDs, and styrofoam recycling. Additionally, they offer hospital recycling services. Their website offers all the information you need before dropping items off. They value and employ a diverse workforce, which includes individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. The Arvada facility is at 6340 W. 56th Avenue, or call 303-425-9226. Please check their website for information on their other locations in Broomfield and Wheat Ridge.
Eco-Cycle/CHaRM facility in Boulder is one of my favorite facilities for taking hard-to-recycle items. Located at 6400 Arapahoe Road in Boulder, they accept many items, including mattresses, plastic bags, bubble wrap, wire hangers, styrofoam…and much more!
If you’d rather your items be picked up in one large load, arrangements can be made with junk services to haul everything away for you. Most of these junk services will dispose of each item properly, and their fees are priced by the load.
