The president of Apex Waste Solutions said work is progressing on the company’s 90-day integration plan, which is designed to answer common customer questions, such as whether garbage pickup days will change or whether residential recycling will be picked up every week.

“We are still in the process of merging the two companies in the integration model,” said Apex President Scott Lukach. “Our focus is really on people and integration.”

In early July, Apex took over the garbage and recycling services for approximately 8,000 customers in Routt and Moffat counties previously provided by Waste Management and Twin Enviro Services and formed a new company called Apex-Twin Enviro Steamboat.

Although Apex’s services in Routt and Moffat are status quo for now, changes are afoot. The Parker-based company plans to expand and upgrade the existing small material recovery facility at the Milner landfill to handle the combined higher recycling volume, Lukach said. Apex-Twin Enviro offers recycling services in all areas of Routt County, but does not currently offer curbside recycling in Moffat County, said Lacie Coupe, general manager at Apex-Twin Enviro.

MURF processing accepts individual recyclable streams that are sorted into marketable categories and baled. Coupe said the recycling streams are processed through the services of a recycling broker at locations such as Momentum Recycling in Broomfield for glass, Master Fiber in El Paso, Texas for cardboard and Mountain Fiber in Hyrum, Utah for paper.

Lukach said his company has acquired several new service territories since January 2023 and has grown from 20 employees to over 300 serving over 100,000 customers. The company employs about 65 to 70 people in the Yampa Valley, and customer service for customers in the valley is handled through the Milner Landfill office.

Some services remain the same, including the Milner Mall Reuse and Resource Center at the entrance to the landfill, open Tuesday to Saturday from June to October.

Both the Milner and Downhill Drive facilities are open to the public for drop-off of recyclables. For Apex customers, the base rate starts at free, depending on the items. At Downhill Drive, the drop-off facility is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For non-Apex customers, the minimum rate is $15.

Lukach said his company plans to keep prices where they are now and asked the community for feedback by calling 970-879-6985 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“The bills should not have changed compared to the previous month,” Lukach said. “We plan to be much more consistent and careful with pricing.”

When asked about changes to pickup days, Lukach said the combined routes are still being determined. While the frequency of commercial trash and recycling pickup is determined by rate plans, Twin Enviro residential recycling pickup occurs every two weeks and Waste Management pickup occurs weekly.

“We are looking at improving efficiency and providing better service, so we haven’t made a final decision yet,” said Coupe.

Coupe said that within Steamboat city limits, bear-proof dumpsters are provided as part of the service rates, but customers outside of Steamboat must opt ​​for a bear-proof dumpster, which incurs an additional cost of $10 per month.

The company president said his team has met with area stakeholders, including municipal staff, the Routt County Health Department and the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council. One of the topics being discussed is a larger public recycling center.

Routt County and Steamboat Springs have commissioned a landfill feasibility study in April 2023 that considers a multi-material facility to improve waste diversion in four areas: traditional recyclables, organics or food and yard waste, hard-to-recycle materials and household hazardous waste. No specific location or funding has been determined yet, according to Routt County Environmental Health Director Scott Cowman.

“We will continue to work with local businesses and stakeholders to find the best solution,” Cowman said.

“We are definitely open to discussions,” Lukach said. “We are learning about the needs of the community.”

Recycling contamination rates continue to be a problem in Routt County that can affect the economics of recycling streams, Lukach noted. Customers continue to mistakenly throw garbage into recycling bins, place unwashed or food-contaminated recyclables into recycling bins, or throw plastics labeled No. 3 through 7 into the recycling bins, which in this area are limited to plastics labeled No. 1 and No. 2.

During the busy ski season, Steamboat tends to experience higher recycling contamination rates when visitors come from places that do not have recycling collections or other collections that do not always follow local recycling guidelines.

“Wherever tourism plays a role, there is an increase in infections during the high season,” said Lukach.

Coupe said recycling contamination rates at Milner’s plant ranged from 19 percent in the second and third quarters of the year to as high as 30 percent in the first and fourth quarters.

Lukach encouraged interested volunteers to help by becoming recycling ambassadors in their neighborhood through Steamboat’s Spur Change. Awareness program to increase recycling rates and reduce pollution.