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Westminster sustainability center

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Welcome to Our New One-Stop-Drop Sustainability Center

Westminster Sustainability Center will open on Monday, April 22 at 9 a.m. It is a convenient, clean, and safe location where residents can drop off recyclables, including hard-to-recycle items, without having to go to multiple places. 
 

The hours of operation are as follows: 

  • Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
  • Friday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
  • Closed on Sundays 

Single-stream recyclables are free to drop off, and hard-to-recycle goods will be accepted for a fee. You can learn more about the price structure here.

Please join us for a grand opening celebration on Friday, April 26. Residents are welcome to drop in from 3 to 6 p.m. for a tour of the new Westminster Sustainability Center.

About Westminster Sustainability Center

On January 8, 2024, Westminster City Council approved plans to create a new sustainability center that will open on April 22, 2024. It will be located within a 10-minute drive for more than 80% of Westminster residents. 

The Westminster sustainability center will feature a drive-up to make recycling hassle free. For single-stream recycling, you’ll be able to drive up to the compactor and place your items inside. The compactor will be emptied a few times a week and the contents will be sent to Republic Services for processing. Hard-to-recycle items will be accepted in a separate area, collected in containers, and brought inside at the end of the day, keeping the facility clean and organized. The hard-to-recycle items will then be taken to various locations for processing.  

SustainAbility Recycling is partnering with the City to manage the site and to help unload and process items for residents. You can drop off hard-to-recycle things, including electronics, paint, and Styrofoam in addition to single-stream recycling items such as cardboard, paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass. Your unwanted electronics will be sent to certified e-waste recyclers who will break down your items in an ethical manner without compromising any personal data left on the device. 

SustainAbility has similar operations in Arvada and Broomfield, and they are proud to offer work opportunities for individuals who have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.  

The dedicated staff members at the Westminster Sustainability Center are passionate about protecting our environment and want to share that passion with the community. The center will be available for field trips and other community tours to demonstrate the environmental benefits of recycling.   

Westminster Sustainability Center will be located at 6020 West 91st Avenue.  

There will be plenty of signs making sure drivers know where to go. To mitigate potential traffic impacts, we ask you to enter the site from Harlan St. and either park in the designated spots for hard-to-recycle items or enter the line for single-stream recyclables.

Westminster Sustainability Center will replace the four current recycling locations.

The following locations will close on June 1: 

  • Fire Station 1: 3948 W. 73rd Ave. 
  • Municipal Service Center: 6575 W. 88th Ave. 
  • Municipal Court: 3030 Turnpike Dr. 
  • West View Recreation Center: 10747 W. 108th Ave. 

The decision to consolidate the above drop-off locations into one center was vital. Having several un-staffed locations resulted in undesired outcomes. Because staff wasn’t there to monitor it, people often dumped un-recyclables into the bins, which then contaminated the entire bin, meaning none of it could be recycled. When this happens, the City must pay a hauler to take it all to the landfill. On average, the City spent about 20 hours a week cleaning the sites.  

The 24-hour drop-off locations were also becoming unsafe, with broken glass on the ground, illegally dumped hazardous materials, and chaotic traffic flows causing real problems. Our new consolidated center will be safe and clean. It won’t be a nuisance to neighbors, unlike our previous system.    

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • Friday-Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Closed on Sundays
Yes, employees with our partner, SustainAbility Recycling, will be there to help unload and sort your items during business hours. You may only drop off your goods when the facility is open.
  • Single-Stream Recycling:
    • Mixed paper and paperboard
    • Paper food containers and cartons
      • This includes juice boxes, egg cartons, ice cream cartons, milk cartons, cereal boxes, and pasta boxes
    • Plastics #1, #2, and #5
    • Cardboard
    • Glass bottles and jars
    • Aluminum and steel cans
  • Hard-to-Recycle Items:
    • Electronics
      • Mixed electronics (e-waste) such as computers, printers, stereos, bathroom and kitchen appliances, vacuums, etc.
      • TVs and computer monitors
    • Paint
      • Latex and oil-based paint accepted as a member of Colorado’s Paint Care Program
    • Bike tubes and tires
    • Cassette tapes
    • CDs and DVDs
    • Contact lenses
    • Corrugated plastic yard signs
    • Fire extinguishers
    • Ink and toner
    • Keys
    • Large #2 and #5 plastics
    • Plastic films and wraps including plastic shipping envelopes, bubble wrap, grocery and produce bags, newspaper sleeves, cereal bags, and dry cleaning bags
    • Plastic pill bottles
    • Plastic straws
    • Smoke alarms
    • Styrofoam and EPS foam
    • Toothpaste tubes and floss containers
    • VHS tapes
    • Water filters
    • Wine corks
    • Writing utensils
  • Reuse Items (Things that are not typically recyclable, but can be put to use by various organizations, charities, makers and artists):
    • Books
    • Shoes
    • Candle wax
    • Functioning bicycles
    • Eyeglasses
    • Hearing aids
    • Hand tools
    • Candle wax
    • Vinyl records
    • Canned (unopened) pet food
    • Packaged silverware
    • Paint brushes
    • Shampoo/conditioner small bottles from hotels
  • Large/Bulky items
  • Hazardous materials
  • Batteries, unless they're in a device that makes them hard to remove, such a laptops, cellphones, and tablets.
  • Furniture
  • Explosives
  • Other regulated materials like asbestos
  • Construction debris
  • No copper or scrap metal
  • If you have items Westminster Sustainability Center does not accept, then you are welcome to call the City at 303-658-2400 for more information about where to recycle or dispose of them.
  • You can also find a hard-to-recycle guide here, and our Waste Wizard search widget here.

You will be able to drop off your common recycling for free. Some examples of common recycling are: mixed paper and paperboard, paper food containers and cartons, [this includes juice boxes, egg cartons, ice cream cartons, milk cartons, cereal boxes, and pasta boxes], plastics #1, #2, and #5, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans

To see the pay structure for hard-to-recycle items, click here.

No, you do not need an appointment. You can just arrive during business hours and an employee will greet you. They will then explain where you can drop off your items and how much it will cost, if anything.

No. The following sites will officially close on June 1:

  • Fire Station 1: 3948 W. 73rd Ave.
  • Municipal Service Center: 6575 W. 88th Ave.
  • Municipal Court: 3030 Turnpike Dr.
  • West View Recreation Center: 10747 W. 108th Ave.
The new consolidated location will have a compactor for common recycling, which will accommodate 3-4 times the capacity. The facility will also be staffed. Employees will keep the area around the bins neat and tidy.
No, the site will not emit odors because all material will be stored inside, not outside. Also, the goods will be picked up frequently, so there won’t be time for it to get smelly.
The site will have a minimal noise impact. Most of the processing and handling will occur inside the facility. The recycling compactor will be operated during business hours.
You will enter the site from Harlan St. and either park in the designated spots for hard-to-recycle items or enter the line for common recyclables. 
We are currently working with the owner of the building to find out the level of composting we’ll be able to offer. We will update this website when we have an answer. 
All common recycling at the centralized drop-off site will be single stream, just like the current drop-off sites. Residents will empty all their common recycling into the compactor, no separating required. Republic Services will take the contents of the compactor to their recycling facility, where the items will be sorted by material type for recycling.   

You will be able to recycle single stream, common items for free. Some hard-to-recycle items will cost a $4 fee and other recyclables will be priced by the pound/per item. Please continue to monitor this page for more exact pricing as we get closer to the grand opening.

If you'd prefer to recycle elsewhere, you could ask your garbage pickup provider if they also offer curbside pickup for recycling. Most providers do for about $10-$12 extra a month, though prices vary.

If you need help finding somewhere else to take your hard-to-recycle items, please use our Westy Waste Guide. You can type in your item and the guide will list places where you can take it.

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