Community Twine Recycling, Inc., a Colorado nonprofit organization, is making it easy for the community to recycle discarded plastic baling twine through its twine recycling program. 鈥淭his program provides a practical way for our community to come together to protect wildlife, reduce landfill waste, and keep Colorado beautiful,鈥� said Community Recycling Coordinator Alicia Archibald. 鈥淓very pound collected makes a difference for our environment.鈥�
Plastic baling twine poses a serious threat to wildlife. Birds can become entangled, resulting in injury or death; in some states, baling twine has been linked to the death of nearly 10% of osprey chicks annually. Despite being 100% recyclable, millions of pounds are discarded in landfills each year.
Community members are invited to collect used baling twine, remove any debris, and deliver it to one of two Twin-Apex collection sites. Outdoor storage is available at both locations. Once 30,000 pounds are collected, a semi-truck will transport the twine to a processing facility, where it will be converted into pellets for new plastic products.
Twine may contain knots or be loosely bundled. It does not need to be straightened, and knots are acceptable. In addition, please avoid submitting twine that is heavily contaminated with dirt, trash, manure, or other debris. If contamination exceeds about 10% (a helpful visual benchmark), the processor may reject an entire semi-load of twine, so it鈥檚 important to check your material first.