Many people in our community are pitching in and doing their part for a better future but when it comes to the opportunity to recycle, we might be throwing it all away. Many residents still don't know how easy the city of Grand Junction makes it to keep things green.

People across western Colorado and even eastern Utah come all the way to Grand Junction to recycle their materials. The recycling center is one of the biggest in the area and its goal is to have curbside pickup for all Grand Junction residents.

"Recycling is really important for our future", explained Merissa Snyder, Community Outreach Coordinator for Curbside Recycling Indefinitely.

Curbside Recycling Indefinitely is a company hired by the city of Grand Junction. They provide residential curbside pickup for residents inside the city limits and they accept almost all household items.

"We accept newspaper, junk mail, plastic 1's, 2's and 5's, steel and aluminum cans, cardboard, and glass.  So basically any household commodity", explained Snyder.

Dropping off materials at the recycling center is free but for the price of a soda or coffee you can sign up for curbside pickup right at your house.

"It’s $1.75 a month and it can go onto any city utility bill. They can call the office or they call the city and get signed up with their trash service and we have twice a month pickup available", said Snyder.

They’ve seen record growth in terms of recycling over the past few years.

"We do about 4 million pounds a year, and we're shooting for 9 million over the next few years", said Snyder.

The quality of the materials is also very high, with less than half a percent of contamination. Mills from across the country want the materials from Grand Junction.

"What we do is just continue to sort what hasn't been sorted. We clean out any contamination, bail it up, and ship it off to a mill. We stay domestic with our shipping so none of our stuff goes overseas", Synder explains.

There are about 3,000 residential accounts already in the city. Residents say they don't have to participate, but those we talked to feel it should be a priority.

"Well I think recycling is very important. I think that what we're doing to mother Earth in a variety of ways, the disposal of waste materials being one example of it. If they're reusable, potentially reusable, I’m very much in favor of making that reuse possible", said Jim Nelson, Grand Junction Resident.

In an effort to get even more people involved, the curbside pickup program wants their current customers to tell their family, friends, and neighbors. If you refer a new customer, each person will receive 3 free months of service. You can sign up at GJCRI.com or call 242-1036.