They're both subscription-based and you can choose your pickup frequency. See what Ridwell takes as opposed to what The Happy Beetle takes. Ridwell's prices are location-based, so enter your ZIP code to learn more - they pick up every other week. The Happy Beetle picks up either monthly or quarterly, so which you choose may depend on how much stuff your household generates that could be recycled.

The Front Porch did a nice article on these two companies in 2021 if you'd like to know more.

The City of Denver

For now, we can make sure everything that can go in our purple bins gets recycled. Do you know what can and can't go in the bins? The full list is here, and the Denver Post put together solutions to some common recycling mistakes that we make. We can do better!

The city also offers seasonal services such as LeafDrop in the fall, Treecycling and Holiday Light Recycling during the holidays, and GrassCycling and a free Mulch Giveaway in the spring. They also work with Denver Public Schools to recycle and compost at 170 schools, serving more than 90,000 students.

Retail Stores

Several stores have mini-recycling centers that accept other non-purple-bin items, so dropping off your recycling is easy and convenient. Here are a few we know of:

Target:  plastic bags, glass, plastic bottles, aluminum, MP3 players, cellphones, and ink cartridges

Walmart:  plastic bags and bottles

Home Depot:  rechargeable batteries, cardboard, CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs), and lead acid battery cores

Lowe's:  plastic bags, CFL bulbs, rechargeable batteries, and cellphones; also plastic planter pots and cases in the garden center

Best Buy:  TVs (some have a small fee), cables, DVD players/VCRs, headphones, computers and peripherals, tablets/ereaders, monitors (for a small fee), ink cartridges, phones (any kind), calculators, chargers, shredders, fans, vacuums, and more

Ace Hardware:  batteries, paint, light bulbs (varies by store - call to check)

Other Recycling Resources

You can always drop off other recycling as you're out and about. Sometimes people will let their neighbors know when they're going to a recycling center in local Facebook groups and offer to take things for others (holiday lights, for example). These are the centers closest to Central Park:

     Metal:  Denver Metal Recycling, 820 S. Monaco Pkwy Suite 276, Denver, CO 80224

     Electronics:  Genesis Electronics Recycling of Colorado, 2045 S Valentia St. Unit 15, Denver, CO  80231

     Computers with life left:  PCs for People, 6035 E 38th Ave, Denver, CO 80207

Know of other great local resources? Let us know in the comments!