


Sustainable Ways - High Country Recycling
PO Box 672
Westcliffe, CO 81252
ABOUT US
2022- 2023
Two dozen plus volunteers provide sorting, baling, education and trailer hauling to and from the recycling drop-off sites on a
weekly basis at the Joanie Liebman Recycling Center located at the Landfill.
Volunteers schedule, deliver and pick up for return the 55 gallon blue recycling collection barrels for any and all community
public events. This service is available for now cost at this time.
2020 - 2022
Custer County Recycles received a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity (CDPHE RREO) grant award and constructed a material recovery facility (MRF) located at the County Landfill for
drop off of multiple recyclables. The award also covered the purchase of a horizontal baler with conveyor, and provided for the creation of a 2nd and new Custer County part-time recycling position. Operations began the summer of 2022.
Initiated the creation of Custer County Recycles through a new partnership comprised of Joanie Liebman and Steve Tappe, HCR;
Tom Flower, Custer County Commissioner; Wilson Jarvis, Custer County Economic Development; Brian Lockhart, CC Landfill;
Steve Lasswell, Sustainable Ways and Mike Liebman, Wet Mountain Valley Rotary.
Partnered with Dundee Memorial Dog Park to maintain a local aluminum/steel can recycling drop off collection when all but cardboard and plastic recycling shut down in our four county area. Purchased a couple of two horse trailers to be used for drop off collection and located them behind the Dundee Dog Park expanding their Cans for Canines project. This was the birth of HCR's all volunteer and temporary Check'em, Sort'em & Bag'em project that also included volunteers hauling them to a metal scrapper in nearby in Penrose. All the proceeds were given to the park.
2010 - 2022
Volunteers sorted and baled cardboard two to three days a week, every week,for 12 years
at the Custer County Waste Minimization and Recycling Facility at the Landfill.
2012 - 2023
Partnered with Roots Recycle, Pueblo CO and Altitude Community Fitness to initiate and support 24/7 plastic recycling drop-off in HCR's metal shed placed in the fitness center's parking lot. Roots Recycle's increasing costs and plastic recycling complications made this service unsustainable and was shut down. HCR donated the metal shed to Altitude Community Fitness.
2012 - 2020
Hosted an annual Mobile Record Shredder community wide event which shut down due to the COVID pandemic.
2009 - 2010
Secured a dozen 50 gallon barrels to be used as recycling collection containers at no cost for public and private events.
4-H youth refurbished, designed and painted the barrels with supplies, tools and artists provided by HCR and Sangre's Art Guild.
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Joined in partnership with Veltri Disposal Services, now Oak Disposal Services in Westcliffe, and was awarded a grant to purchase
a used vertical cardboard baler and began a HCR volunteer operated local cardboard recycling at their facility.
Partnered with Custer County and received a grant award from CDPHE RREO to construct the
Custer County Waste Minimization and Recycling Facility at the county landfill to provide corrugated cardboard drop off collection
and baling. Volunteers created 3 tiers of baled cardboard and a top tier of baled plastic as insulated walls between the buildings
steel frames and then stuccoed the exterior and put up sheet rock for the interior walls. The grant also provided for
the installation of solar panels to provide at the time non existent electric power and to hire Custer County's first
recycling employee. The used vertical baler was donated to the county and moved into the new facility.
2007
Partnered with Custer County Bobcats 5th grade students who initiated a district wide weekly paper recycling collection program.
Began first time plastic recycling on a once a month basis in partnership with Altitude Community Fitness Center
then known as Club America located in Silver Cliff.
HIGH COUNTRY RECYCLING
We are an all volunteer organization operating under Sustainable Ways, Inc 501 (C) 3 non-profit.
To contact us - email highcountryrecycling@gmail.com or text/call 719-371-0005.
In 2006 a couple of local residents and a business owner met at a Sustainable Ways community meeting and
shared their concerns on the lack of local recycling opportunities. Over time this group's membership grew.
We adopted the name High Country Recycling, created a mission, a goal and four objectives.
OUR MISSION
To be a comprehensive, successful program that supports individual, business and governmental practices
that reduces waste, promotes reuse and advances recycling throughout Custer County.
OUR GOAL
To be a role model for rural communities within & outside of Colorado.
OUR OBJECTIVES
Promote Community Involvement
Educate & Raise Awareness
Expand Options
Role Model Zero Waste
WHERE DO WE MEET & WHEN?
HCR meets monthly on the 4th Monday of the month from 9:30am to 11:00am in the
Kirkpatrick Bank Conference Room at 8 Bassick Place, Westcliffe.
OUR ADVISORY BOARD
Chairperson: Joanie Liebman Vice Chair & Vol. Coord: Steve Tappe
Treasurer: Deb Adams Secretary: Gina Maloney
Members: Loree Lund, Steve Lasswell, Mike Liebman, Nancy Murray, Tom Maloney