Eleven firms, including some of Colorado's largest commercial waste management companies, attended a pre-bid meeting Monday morning to learn more about what Boulder County wants in a new recycling center operator.

The county announced last month that it was, for the first time in 17 years, seeking competitive bids for its recycling operation, a role the nonprofit Eco-Cycle has played since 2000.

Among those firms attending the meeting were Waste Management, Alpine Waste and Recycling, Boulder-based Western Disposal, Midwest Waste, and Eco-Cycle, which plans to submit its own bid to continue running the center.