Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site Now Offering Free Public Single Stream Recycling

The City and County of Denver and Waste Management of Colorado (WM) are pleased to announce the opening of a public recycling center at the Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site landfill (DADS), located at 3500South Gun Club Road in Aurora.

"Denver is committed to sustainability and to working in collaboration with Waste Management, and our neighbors in Aurora," stated Celia VanDerLoop, division director of the City and County of Denver's Environmental Quality Division. "This is a great example of a program that benefits everyone."

The goal of the recycle center is to help divert materials that can be recycled or reused from entering the landfill, and is now one of two such facilities in Aurora. The City of Aurora, in co-operation with WM, opened its first public recycling drop-off center at Saddle Rock Golf Course - 21705 E. Arapahoe Road in Aurora - back in January 2009.

The State of Colorado Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity Grant helped fund and provide assistance for the construction of the recycle center. The center will provide area residents with a convenient, no cost solution for recycling typical house recyclable materials, such as newsprint, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans. A nominal fee will be charged for nontraditional items including asphalt shingles, tires and white goods, such as refrigerators and stoves.

"Waste Management is committed to offering communities more effective and affordable recycling options," said Scott Bradley, area vice president for Waste Management of Colorado. "And as the industry leader, our goal is to set the standard for new and innovative waste and recycling collection options for the communities we serve and live in."

The center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The public is required to check in at the gatehouse, and receive a recycling specific ticket prior entering the site. All customers that have mixed recycle and landfill disposal material loads will be directed to both locations.

"The Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site isn't your typical landfill," stated Steve Derus, director of landfill operations for Waste Management of Colorado. "Not only are we now offering a free public recycling center at the site, but we operate the only landfill gas-to-energy plant in the state."

In September 2008, Waste Management opened Colorado's only landfill gas-to-energy plant at DADS. The plant captures the methane gas that is produced in the normal decomposition process at a landfill, turns that gas into energy, and then feeds that energy directly into Xcel Energy's power grid. At present DADS is providing enough energy to power over 3,000 homes in the metro area. The plant was established via a cooperative agreement between the City and County of Denver, Waste Management, and Xcel Energy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Tri-County Health Department, and Colorado Department of Health and Environment provided additional assistance with permitting and project coordination.

The DADS recycling center is part of Waste Management's sustainability initiative that was announced last October at the World Business Forum committing the company to nearly tripling the amount of recyclables it manages by 2020.

For more information regarding the center, please contact the DADS Landfill gatehouse at 720-876-2624. For a complete list of acceptable items, please see the attached document for reference.

More about Waste Management
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.