It’s time to start cleaning out your garage. The sixth annual Community Recycling Drop-off Day is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 10 at the Meadow’s parking lot.

The Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and Routt County Environmental Health Department, in partnership with many local businesses, host this annual event to provide an opportunity to recycle hard-to-recycle items and properly dispose of household hazardous waste.

Some items that will be accepted Oct. 10 include traditional recycling items, electronics, yard waste, skis, bicycles, some appliances, bike tubes, CFL bulbs, car batteries, contaminated gasoline, pesticides, herbicides, mercury thermometers, plastic bags, hard-back books and much more.

Many items are taken at no charge, while some incur a fee, and we recommend you visit our website, yvsc.org, to learn about current prices before you attend the event.

Last year’s Drop-off Day brought 500 cars with more than 4,500 pounds of household hazardous waste, 30,000 pounds of electronics and hundreds of CFL bulbs and tubes, to name a few. This year, the event has been moved to the Meadows Parking lot to allow for a greater number of attendees and smoother flow of traffic.

New this year, paint is now being accepted all year long at Ace Hardware and Sherwin Williams, free of charge, as part of the new PaintCare paint stewardship program. We ask that you bring your paint to Ace or Sherwin Williams before the event to help us with traffic flow and reduce the amount of paint and hazardous waste collected at this event.

Other important things to know before you go:

• This event is for residential recycling only

• We do not accept pharmaceuticals, furniture, rotted lumber or alkaline batteries

• Electronics, tires, motor oil, propane tanks, and some household hazardous wastes will incur fees

• We will not accept refrigerators or freezers this year

This event would not be possible without our community partners, including Twin Enviro Services, Electronic Recyclers International, Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation, Lightworks of Steamboat, NAPA Auto Parts, Safeway, Post Net, Ski Haus and D&D Enterprises. It would also not be possible without the help of our many volunteers.

If you can donate your time, please call 970-871-9299, extension 103, or email emilie@yvsc.org.

For a full list of acceptable items and fees, visit our website yvsc.org

Emilie Rogers is administrator of Yampa Valley Recycles for the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council.