The mission of the Four Corners Recycling Initiative (FCRI) is to promote sustainable living through waste diversion and recycling, education and outreach, and economic opportunities while minimizing the financial burden on those we serve.
The Four Corners Recycling Initiative successfully launched an aggressive waste diversion and recycling program July 1st, 2008 with a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. This grant enabled FCRI to purchase eight 30-yard recycling bins for the public to use for free recycling. The program is active throughout Montezuma County and encompasses the City of Cortez, the Towns of Mancos and Dolores, the Ute Mountain Indian Tribe – serving the Tribal communities of Towaoc, CO and White Mesa, UT – local schools, private local businesses and governmental entities within this geographic area.
At the onset of the program, we accepted cardboard, mixed paper, and metals. In 2014 an effort was initiated with help from regional school districts, Osprey Backpacks and Montezuma Landfill to expand. In 2015 a pilot program was started to collect 1 and 2 plastics. That program has been successful and existing bins have been retrofitted to accommodate plastic recycling.
Currently, FCRI has three sites that offer free recycling, Mancos schools, Dolores schools, and the Dolores Public Lands Office. All sites take clean cardboard, office paper (no newspaper), plastics 1 and 2, and metals. The bins are marked with what materials are acceptable and we encourage the public to use the recycling bins in a responsible way that assures the commodity they wish to be recycled does not become trash due to contamination.
We love to hear from you, please email us and also check out our Facebook page! Recycle on Four Corners!