How do I recycle in Lake County?
Where CAN I Recycle:
The Recycling Center at the Lake County Landfill
From Hwy 24, just south of the bend at the edge of downtown Leadville, head south 2 miles on CR 6. Ryan’s Performance Automotive shop marks the turn off of Hwy 24. Please visit the Recycling Center’s website for current hours.
The Rolloffs at the Community Field where the Mineral Belt trail crosses McWethy Dr
ALL recycling MUST be sorted into the correct rolloff- contamination is the number one reason our recycling ends up in the landfill.
The Rolloffs on CR 10 by the solar panels
ALL recycling MUST be sorted into the correct rolloff- contamination is the number one reason our recycling ends up in the landfill.
What CAN i Recycle:
Please note that Lake County only accepts plastics #1 & #2 as of summer 2020.
Get PRINTABLE PDF’s HERE or stop by the C4 office (inside the post office) for a copy!
Recycling Tips
Businesses and large loads: Please bring larger loads directly to the Recycling Center at the Lake County Landfill. Read this flyer for more details.
When in doubt, keep it out! Putting in the wrong items (or dirty items) can mean the whole load goes into the landfill. Please call us if you’re not sure about a specific item, we’re happy to help!
Rinse recyclables with care. Please make sure they're clean! Enough dirty recyclables and the entire bin can be considered contaminated, and every item will be dumped into the landfill.
Hard-to-Recycle items and Household Hazardous Waste
Lake County Landfill Tipping Fees
Antifreeze > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center. Cost is $1 per gallon.
Appliances > TVs and computers are NOT appliances- please see Electronics & Computers (below) for information on these. Washers, dryers, refrigerators/freezers (associated fee), hot water heaters, dishwashers, trash compactors, and microwaves are accepted at the Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center for a $12 fee (residents). Any appliance that is approximately 80% metal can be recycled as scrap metal.
Asphalt > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center. Cost is $5/yard. It is crushed and re-used on County roads.
Batteries > True Value in Leadville accepts household batteries and electronic batteries for FREE. Vehicle batteries are accepted at the Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center for a $5 recycling fee.
Building Materials > Contact the Summit County Habitat ReStore in Silverthorne (970-423-7445) or ReStores in other surrounding communities; they may accept building materials. Unfortunately, there aren't many options for used building materials in good condition in our community.
CDs > Green Disk or other online services may take back CDs.
Cell Phones > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center accepts these for $1 through their electronics recycling program. These items should NOT be dumped in the landfill as they contain toxic elements that are harmful to human and natural resources. See electronics pricing.
Christmas Trees > We currently have no available Christmas tree recycling. Want to see something in place where Christmas trees are chipped and then re-used? So do we.
Clothing > Not accepted at any of the Recycling Drop-off Centers. Please contact Community Threads at 504 Harrison St. (719-486-4000) for details on donating.
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs) > True Value in Leadville accept these for FREE. All fluorescent light bulbs- including CFLs and tubes- contain a small amount of mercury and must be handled and recycled carefully.
Construction Wood > Summit County Resource Allocation Park (SCRAP). Must be separate loads for lower rates. Raw dimensional lumber only- no creosoted, painted, stained or treated lumber in construction wood. No plywood or OSB. No trash or other construction debris. No metal hardware. Contaminated loads charged at loose trash rate, along with applicable surcharges and additional hauling fees. Slash and stumps must be separate loads for the lower rates (no dirt, rocks, or trash in load). Contact SCRAP for more info at 970-468-9263.
Electronics, Computers, e-recycling > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center. Beginning on July 1 2013, Colorado residents may no longer dispose of most electronic waste (e-waste) in their household trash because Colorado landfills no longer accept e-waste. The change is the result of a new law, the Electronic Recycling Jobs Act. These items CANNOT be dumped in the landfill as they contain toxic elements that are harmful to human and natural resources. See electronics pricing.
Fluorescent Tubes > Fluorescent tubes also contain mercury and should be brought to a proper disposal facility. True Value in Leadville takes 2 foot tubes for FREE and charges $1 for 4-8 foot tubes. Lowes in Silverthorne also takes tubes up to 4 feet for FREE. The Summit County recycling facility takes small and large tubes at a cost ($1 per tube for 8 footers, $.50 per tube for 4 footers).
Ink-Jet and Toner Cartridges > The manufacturer is the best choice for recycling these items. Many toner and ink cartridges (Dell and Hewlett Packard, for example) come with handy pre-paid shipping labels to send the old cartridges directly back to the manufacturer. Bunny Taylor at Lake County School District will accept some of these as well. 719-486-6800
iPods, iPhones, and other iThings > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center is now accepting iPods, iPhones and cellular phones for a small fee. Apple retail stores accept old iPods and such for FREE recycling, and you’ll even receive a 10% discount for a replacement. You can also jump on the Apple website and request a FREE, pre-paid mailing label to ship your iThing back to them. This is truly the best option, because when the manufacturer is in charge of recycling, that manufacturer just might begin to make more recyclable and less toxic products.
Mercury Thermometers and Switches > These are perhaps the nastiest of the little toxic things. As we know, mercury is a potent neurotoxin and should be handled with great care. Currently, you can take these materials to Summit County any day for disposal. Bring up to 4 of these mercury-containing devices for FREE to Summit County’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program, located at the Summit County Resource Allocation Park (SCRAP). Commercial businesses, please call SCRAP at 970-468-9263 x 0.
Oil > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center. You can bring up to 5 gallons for FREE. Over 5 gallons, call for appointment and pricing. Oil filters currently cannot be taken to the Lake County Landfill.
Paint > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center is a Paint Care collection site. They will accept up to 10 gallons per day and will recycle it for FREE. Find more on paint recycling.
Pharmaceuticals > Leadville City Hall Lock Box at 800 Harrison Ave. Thank you City of Leadville! The Safeway Pharmacy and St. Vincent Hospital will NOT take these back. NEVER flush pharmaceuticals down the toilet. Flushing or trashing unused or unwanted medications can pollute our lakes, streams, and water supplies.
Plastic Bags/Film > Safeway partners with NexTrex to accept a variety of soft plastics for FREE. Get the full list here. DO NOT put these items in the plastics bins at the Recycling Center.
Propane Tanks > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center. Less than 25 lbs. = $8, over 25 lbs. = $16.
Refrigerators/Freezers > If it is still working and Xcel Energy is your energy provider, they will pick it up for FREE and give you a $50 rebate towards a new refrigerator. Have your Xcel Energy account number handy. Xcel Energy Rebate Program. If it is not working, Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center will take it. A fee is charged for recycling of refrigerators and freezers ($30/residential, $75/commercial) because the coolant must be removed by a certified technician. Coolant is a hazardous substance and should not be deposited in the landfill or anywhere else where it may contaminate natural resources.
Scrap Metal > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center. Rocky Mountain Recycling (303-288-6868) and All Recycling (303-922-7722) are metal yards in Denver that pay for scrap metal.
Skis/Sports Equipment > Recycle Sports in Frisco (970-668-5150) accepts items for consignment. You can also place an ad in the Swap for Charity section of the Herald Democrat or Leadville Today, or post your items for sale on the Leadville swap ‘n sell Facebook group.
Slash and Yard-Clippings > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center; first 2 yards are FREE.
Styrofoam Packaging > Leadville's B & B Shipping Store at 518 Harrison (719-486-7373) will accept clean and dry packaging material in good condition. This includes bubble wrap and peanuts. Cardboard boxes are not accepted.
Televisions > See Electronics and Computers above.
Tires > Lake County Landfill and Recycling Center. The fee is between $4 and $30. See Landfill Fees.
Questions? Call us (719-465-6164) or email us.