Telluride’s very own a zero waste facility coming soon: SMARRTS Park

SUNRISE will provide the recycling and zero waste capability the community wants through a partnership with the SMARRTS Park Foundation. The SMARRTS Park (San Miguel Area Resource Recovery Transfer Station), a zero waste facility, will open in 2012.

The SMARRTS Park Foundation will manage and fund the processing, storing, selling, and shipping of materials that the community wishes to recover, recycle, and divert from the landfill. The Foundation will accept public and nonprofit funding in order to offset the cost of operating SMARRTS Park. SMARRTS Park will charge a “tipping fee” to SUNRISE, Bruin Waste Management, Waste Management, and the public to drop off recyclable material.

In the near future, SMARRTS Park hopes to offer:

• Glass Grinding
• Composting
• Electronic Recycling
• HAZMAT Recycling
• Construction Debris
• Compost for Sale

SMARRTS Park Foundation, a non-profit organization 501 (c) (3), will help the community maximize its resource recovery, waste diversion, and zero waste goals. The Foundation will be composed of an independent five-person board whose members will represent the interests of the community.

A secondary mission of the Foundation will be to help educate the community about the energy it takes to create and recycle common materials and help consumers make informed choices regarding packaging and material consumption.

Consumers should be aware of the full lifecycle costs (energy, financial, and environmental), recycling challenges, and consequences of consuming certain materials.