Waste Diversion and Reduction
Reducing and diverting our waste are some of the easiest things we, as individuals, can do to help our environment. Through waste diversion and reduction, we can conserve natural resources, reduce emissions, and create an abundance of jobs right here in our community. We can make an immense difference by reducing and reusing whenever we can, recycling and diverting, and educating ourselves and the community on sustainable waste management.
Closing the loop
The nationwide average for Material Solid Waste recycling is 32%. Colorado’s waste diversion rate is well below that at 16% (2024). Eagle County recycles more than the statewide average, hitting a waste diversion rate of 24.2% in 2024—but there is more to be done. Learn more about how you can reduce, recycle, and practice waste diversion in Eagle County through our waste diversion and reduction programs!
Download Our Eagle County Waste Wizard App
Wondering what you can recycle in your Eagle Valley community? Or where to properly dispose of your waste? Make waste diversion enjoyable with the Eagle County Waste Wizard! Simply enter the item you are looking to dispose of below and we’ll tell you if it can be recycled or where it can be disposed of properly. Enter the item below or click on the app links to download our mobile app to always have an answer at your fingertips! Waste diversion has never been so much fun!
Zero Waste Events
The Walking Mountains Zero Waste program is available to events in the Eagle Valley on a contract service basis. Each event is unique and requires planning and coordination with event staff and vendors to ensure successful waste diversion and reduction. We will provide expertise, coordination, trained staff and volunteers, and so much more to ensure each event is a sustainability success. With our help, you can make waste diversion an important part of planning your event.
In 2025, we worked 127 days of events and diverted 72,888 pounds of waste from the landfill through recycling and composting, with a total diversion rate of 85.41%
FREE Recycling Tours
Have you ever wondered what happens to your recycled items after you leave them at the curb or drop them off at a recycling drop-site? Want to find out what happens to diverted waste that is sent to an Eagle County waste reduction center? Without knowing what happens next, it is hard to truly understand the impact you are making through your waste reduction and recycling efforts.
Join us for a FREE guided tour of the Eagle County materials recovery, landfill, household hazardous waste facilities and the Vail Honeywagon Compost Facility!
Join our Zero Waste Staff!
Do you want to support the planet, attend fun events like the Go Pro Mountain Games, Birds of Prey, the Eagle County Rodeo, and Oktoberfest? Join our Zero Waste staff! Get paid or volunteer experience to keep waste diversion rates up at Zero Waste events and HAVE FUN with an awesome crew!
FREE Recycling Locations
Free recycling drop-sites are located throughout Eagle County, in Vail, Red Cliff, Avon, Edwards, Eagle and Gypsum.
If you are living in a single-family or duplex residence in the Eagle Valley and paying for trash service through either Waste Management or Vail Honeywagon, FREE curbside pickup is available for the most common household recyclables.
Composting Options
Organic material, including food scraps and yard waste, can be diverted from the landfill through composting! It is an important waste diversion tool that can help to reduce the greenhouse gasses being emitted as a result of our waste, all while helping to restore our soil and natural environment. Even better, this process is done locally. There are commercial composting facilities already collecting organics from Eagle County, and it can also be done at home! Turn your home into a waste diversion center and feed your garden by composting what you can!
Want to get started on your waste diversion journey? There are drop off and collection programs for Eagle County residents and businesses. Reach out to the haulers below for additional information.
Waste Diversion Frequently Asked Questions
The Eagle County Materials Recovery Facility accepts glass beverage containers, aluminum and steel cans, corrugated cardboard boxes, office paper, magazines, and emptied plastic containers No. 1 through No. 7. If you are unsure of how to properly dispose of something, you can ask the Eagle County Waste Wizard app.
If you do not have curbside recycling through a local waste hauler, there are free recycling drop-site locations available throughout Eagle Valley, including Vail, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, Gypsum, and Red Cliff. All recycling drop-sites are dual-stream, which means that paper, cardboard, and comingle materials (recyclable plastics, glass, aluminum, etc.) have to be separated into separate containers. All drop sites will have 3 or more containers labeled with the materials that can be disposed of in those containers. Vail Honeywagon offers a compost subscription program that provides access to a compost dumpster at the Avon, Eagle, Edwards, and Vail recycling drop sites for a small monthly fee.
Recyclables collected from the Eagle County drop sites are taken to the Eagle County Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Wolcott and are separated, baled, and readied for direct shipment to end users. Recyclables collected curbside from local haulers are taken to MRFs in Denver.
A zero-waste event is designed to divert as much waste as possible away from landfills through recycling, composting, and reuse. The goal is typically to divert at least 90% of waste at an event. This is achieved through planning and coordination with Walking Mountains event staff and vendors before the event. Trained staff and volunteers provide education and outreach at zero-waste events and sort all of the waste at the end to ensure successful diversion. Interested in making your event zero-waste?
The Walking Mountains Zero Waste Team helps plan and manage zero-waste events by coordinating with vendors beforehand, providing waste stations and bags, trained staff, educational signage and interactions, and post-event sorting and diversion data. In 2025, we worked 126 days, and diverted 72,888 pounds of waste from the landfill with a diversion rate of 87%.
Eagle County residents can dispose of household hazardous waste by bringing it to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Wolcott. Residents can bring up to 20 items a year at no charge. E-waste can also be recycled there for a fee of 20 cents per pound. Avon, Eagle, Gypsum, Minturn, and Vail host annual Hard to Recycle events in May where you can drop off hazardous items and e-waste for free. If you are unsure about what goes where, you can ask the Eagle County Waste Wizard app.
We always need paid contract staff or volunteers to work our zero-waste events. Please fill out the interest form here and someone will be in touch with you.
If you are unsure of how to properly dispose of something, you can ask the Eagle County Waste Wizard app! You can download the app, available for both Apple and Android.
Check out the schedule and register for a FREE community recycling tour. We also offer free private tours that can be scheduled for school groups, community members, businesses, and more. Fill out this form to request a tour.
Yes! Free recycling tours take place on a quarterly basis, but registration is required. You can check the schedule and register here. We also offer free private tours that can be scheduled for school groups, community members, businesses, and more. Fill out this form to request a tour.
Join us for a FREE, three-hour recycling tour that takes you behind the scenes of Eagle County’s waste and recycling system. Discover where your trash actually goes, what happens to your recyclables, and how local facilities manage materials from start to finish.
Offered in both English and Spanish, the tour begins at the Eagle County Household Hazardous Waste Facility. From there, you’ll visit the landfill, explore the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where recyclables are sorted, and wrap up at the Vail Honeywagon Compost Facility.
It’s your chance to get answers to all your waste-related questions and separate recycling facts from fiction.
No! Recycling tours are meant for people of all ages and are offered in English and Spanish. We welcome anyone who wants to join us to learn more about waste diversion!
The Eagle County Waste Wizard is a website and app that tells you how to properly dispose of your waste. Simply enter the item you are looking to dispose of and it will tell you if it can be recycled, composted, or where it can be disposed of. Check out the site here or download our mobile app to always have an answer at your fingertips!
We offer free private recycling tours that can be scheduled for school groups, community members, businesses, and more. Fill out this form to request a tour. If you do not have a group, sign up for one of our free community recycling tours that happen on a quarterly basis. View the schedule and register here.
Vail Honeywagon has a compost drop site program that Eagle County residents can pay a small monthly fee to participate in. Depending on your town, there might be a curbside composting program.
Fill out this interest form with the information about your event and our team will contact you in 2-3 business days.
Sustainability Testimonials
