July 31, 2008
New Mexico Hits 11% Recycling Rate
The New Mexico Environment Department: Solid Waste
Bureau has released the results of 2007 solid waste and recycling figures.
Again, the recycling rate has increased. It was just 3 years ago that we were at
a 5% recycling rate. Due to improved measurement tactics at NMED and hopefully
increased recycling in the state, we are improving annually!
Click here to go to the download page for the 2008 NM Solid Waste
Annual Report.
NM Recycling Awareness Month -
Time to Plan
Every November is NM Recycling Awareness Month (NMRAM),
held in conjunction with the national America Recycles Day event on November 15.
We encourage communities, youth groups, schools, businesses and other
organizations to plan a recycling outreach event sometime in the month of
November.
You can enroll as a participant in NMRAM and also
receive give-aways and other recycling information to support your event.
For more information about NMRAM and to
enroll, click here.
What You Can Do For NMRAM
2008:
Make the 33% by 2012 Commitment: Submit a
resolution to your city council, county commission, business or organization
asking them to make the 33% recycling rate commitment. NMRC can help draft
resolution language and assist in the process.
Giveaways and resources available: Shopping
bags will be provided as event give-aways plus other recycled-content give-aways
should be available as well. Educational materials are available for teachers
and youth outreach activities.
Online Pledge to Recycle: You can direct
people to take the pledge to recycle at any time to
www.americarecyclesday.org
November Recycling Drive and Events Listing:
Let us know the specifics of your November recycling drive or event so we
can post online! Send to
english@recyclenewmexico.com
Digital TV Conversion Fact
Sheet
The FCC and EPA recently released a joint fact
sheet regarding the
upcoming digital transition. Please distribute this fact sheet widely,
for it contains valuable information on the digital transition and
encourages extending the useful life of TVs.
The fact sheet seems very useful for public
outreach events.
Click here to download.
In addition to producing this fact sheet, EPA has a webpage on the
digital transition:
http://www.epa.gov/ecycling/tv-convert.htm
KNMB’s Environmental Education Project
Keep New Mexico Beautiful is taking Dusty
Roadrunner, our state litter control mascot, on the road to reinforce a message
of environmental education and action in rural schools throughout New Mexico.
Supported by a grant from the PNM Resources Foundation, this project will
emphasize environmental learning in conjunction with state education standards.
Dusty and KNMB will work with students and teachers around New Mexico to conduct
a waste and conservation audit to determine the amount of waste their classrooms
are generating and the ways they can reduce, reuse and recycle. This will
provide an opportunity to discuss carbon emissions and global climate change, as
well as how our daily habits affect carbon emissions. The activity will
culminate in a tree planting on campus. The school will then have the option to
conduct their own recycling, beautification, or waste reduction project with
KNMB support.
If you know of a school that
would be interested in participating in direct this outreach, please contact
KNMB as soon as possible for more information, and if you would like to be
included in the Dusty Roadrunner on the Road program. Dusty’s schedule
is filling up!
Contact Marsha Kellogg, KNMB
Director at 800-760-5662 or
knmb@zianet.com.
Landfill Gas Facility To Start
Electricity Production at
Camino Real
In
southern New Mexico, a large regional landfill on the edge of Sunland Park,
Camino Real, is incorporating green technology to recapture energy and reduce
the environmental impact on the surrounding area.
HOW DOES
IT WORK?
Decomposing organics in the trash – the food scraped off your plate last night,
the overripe produce from the corner grocery, yard clippings and tree trimmings,
manure from a nearby racetrack – are crushed, compacted, and covered with dirt
in the landfill. Organics decompose in the waste pile thanks to naturally
occurring bacteria, which give off methane gas. Methane has generally been
considered an inconvenient by-product of the digestion process in the landfill.
Methane
is the main component of “natural gas”, the gas you probably use in your home to
cook, provide hot water, or produce heat. At landfills, the methane is captured
through gas wells and a piping system that runs throughout the entire landfill
and suctions the gas to a central location where it is “flared off”. Flaring is
a safe, clean way to burn off the methane.
EPA
numbers show almost 400 U.S. landfill projects involved in energy production.
The National Solid Wastes Management Association reports the “greening of
landfills” will benefit our environment by producing electricity from a renewable
resource, saving 154 million barrels of oil every year. That equals removing
the pollution of 14.5 million cars from our roads.
Camino’s power plant is in the test phase of electricity production.
The power plant building is complete, two special landfill gas generators are in
place and running intermittently as we work out the final “bugs”. The pole lines
that carry the power to a nearby El Paso Electric Company substations are in
place, and some of the power being used right now in southern New Mexico
is produced from trash.
Camino
Real Environmental Center, Inc. is now a landfill, a power plant, and an on-site
recycling facility.
For more information,
contact Lee Wilson at
LeeWi@WasteConnections.com
The Small Business Administration (SBA) New Mexico District Office Recycles!
Recently, the SBA New Mexico
District Office reconstructed its office space at 625 Silver Ave in
Albuquerque. A key issue in the space reduction was the many, many files and
obsolete electronics accumulated over the past 10 years. The staff at SBA set
the goal to not ‘landfill’ these recyclable materials. In five separate
collections, both shredded and unshredded paper products totaling 10,864 pounds
were diverted from Albuquerque’s wastestream. In addition to paper recycling,
over 500 pounds of computer cabling and related computer peripherals were
delivered in the City’s April 4th E-Waste collection as well as
direct drop to local e-waste collection points. Responding to nationwide
recycling and environmental initiatives, the SBA New Mexico District Office will
continue to self-collect recyclable paper, plastic, aluminum, e-waste and
compostable products with frequent direct drop to local collection recyclers.
“The New Mexico SBA District
Office is very proud of its efforts in reducing the waste stream. With the
reduction of our office space this recycling emphasizes the importance of
conserving natural resources and reducing what we send to landfills”, stated
John Woosley, New Mexico SBA District Director. “The entire office staff pitched
in on this effort.”
The SBA’s mission is to
stimulate and foster economic development through small business. Simply put,
the Agency helps new businesses get started and helps established business
grow. SBA does this because American enterprise is the backbone of our economy
and the driving force behind economic growth and prosperity.
The following is a summary of
SBA’s Assistance Programs:
Management and Technical Assistance
- Management assistance through publications, counseling,
training and networking. Programs focus on management training, international
trade, veterans, women and other technical assistance. SBA management and
technical assistance providers include the Service Corps of Retired Executives
(SCORE), Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) and the Small Business Development
Centers (SBDC's). To locate the nearest resource near you visit the following
websites for these management and technical assistance providers: SCORE,
www.score.org;
WBCs,
www.wesst.org;
and SBDCs,
www.nmsbdc.org.
·
Financial Assistance
-
Loan guarantees allowing banks to make loans to small business
that would otherwise not be possible. Financial Programs include MICRO Loans,
Term Loans, Working Capital Line of Credit, Patriot Express for Veterans and
other members of the military community, Rural Lender Advantage and Export
Financing.
·
The 8(a) Program
- Helping socially and economically disadvantaged individuals enter the economic
mainstream, partly through access to federal contracts.
·
Bonding Assistance
- Bid, payment and performance contract bonds.
·
Investment Capital
- Venture capital through SBA-regulated small business investment companies.
·
Procurement Assistance
- Assuring small business a better opportunity to compete for
federal contracts.
·
Advocacy
- Representing small business interests before Congress and other
federal agencies.
If you
would like to receive additional information on any SBA program or any other
business issue, please contact SBA at (505) 248-8225. The NM SBA office is
located at 625 Silver SW, Suite 320, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102. NM SBA’s
Internet web site address is
http://www.sba.gov/nm.
EPA's
New
Guide Aids Local Governments In Going Green
The U.S. EPA has launched a new resource directory for
local governments to use in developing and implementing climate
change initiatives.
This new guide includes information
on, among many other things, how the U.S. EPA can help with greening
transportation, land-use decisions and building construction
requirements, improving recycling, conserving water, and using more
efficient and renewable energy.
The directory is available online
at
www.epa.gov/region09/sustainable-cities/EPA_Programs_Directory-LocalGov-v3.pdf.
Partners
for a Clean New Mexico Launch “Restore the Enchantment” Plan to Combat
Illegal Dumping
The signing
took place July 28 at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe with program,
organization and state agency leaders.
More than 30
stakeholder organizations and individuals have joined together today as
Partners for a Clean New Mexico to protect the State of New Mexico by
leveraging resources—staff time, technical expertise, legal authority,
and funding—to address illegal dumping. This effort begins with an
official signing of a statewide “Restore the Enchantment” strategic
plan.
The Partners have
agreed to work together to provide education on proper waste disposal
and recycling methods, address illegal dump clean up and maintenance,
and support increased prosecution and conviction of violators. Each
organizations resources, strengths and authorities will be tapped to
provide a new collaborative approach to an old problem.
“The beauty of New
Mexico is being tarnished by illegal dumping and we’re all very tired of
individually battling the problem” said Linda Rundell, BLM State
Director. “This partnership signals a commitment to confront the
problem that affects every resident and every visitor to our state.
We’re saying to those who continue to trash New Mexico, enough
already!”
The founding
Partners look forward to other interested state, federal, tribal,
private, not-for-profit entities joining the effort. The New Mexico
Association of Counties will serve as fiscal agent for this initiative
and will work closely with the New Mexico Recycling Coalition to receive
funds for implementation of the plan.
Founding Partners
for a Clean New Mexico: New Mexico Association of Counties, New Mexico
Department of Transportation, New Mexico Energy, Minerals & Natural
Resources Department, New Mexico Environment Department, New Mexico
Recycling Coalition, New Mexico State Forestry, New Mexico State Land
Office, New Mexico Tourism Department, USDA Forest Service and USDA
Bureau of Land Management.
New Lifetime NMRC Member Highlight -
GranCor Enterprises
NMRC’s newest lifetime/platinum
member, GranCor Enterprises, is a minority, women owned company specializing
in the remediation of health and environmental hazards and construction
services. GranCor’s interest in joining NMRC stems from their commitment to
recycling construction materials and their overall committment to the
environment. Offering full service construction and deconstruction
services, they are committed to finding recycling outlets for building
materials.
GranCor has served the
environmental and construction needs of New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada
since 2004 and has made the commitment to recycle at their construction
jobsites. GranCor has completed numerous projects involving large
industrial complexes, public buildings, schools, hospitals,
universities, tribal lands, U.S. Postal Service facilities, local and
state government facilities, military installations, and private
residences. GranCor's principals have many years combined experience in
the construction industry, and have built a reputation in the industry
as one of the premiere hazardous substance remediators and construction
companies in New Mexico. Recently, GranCor worked on a demolition
project at Cannon Air Force Base and worked diligently to recycle as
much construction material as possible.
NMRC is pleased to have this
great company as a new Lifetime Member!
Recycling
and Composting Certification Courses - Register Now!
Register now for the upcoming Recycling and Compost
certification courses before the classes start to fill up. Greg Baker is back in
the hot seat for the Composting Course with a tour of the Albuquerque Soil
Amendments Facility and the Recycling Course will include a
field visit to the Santa Fe MRF.
Recycling Facility Operator Certification
Course
December 9-11, Santa Fe
Composting Facility Operator Certification
Course
October 7-9, Albuquerque
To register, please go to
www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes.htm
National Recycling Congress, September 21-24 in
Pittsburgh: Early Bird Extended to Aug 1
The City of Pittsburgh is a perfect symbol for this year's
Congress Theme: Innovation. The city, once pictured as little more than black
smoke stacks has transformed itself, through innovation and leadership, to
"America's Most Livable City" with a verdant waterfront and a thriving civic
culture.
Innovation is also at the center of revitalizing our shared future in a
sustainable economy and environment. The National Recycling Coalition and its
members and supporters are at the forefront of new and exciting approaches for
recovering and reusing the many diverse and valued materials that, just a short
time ago in the era of smoke stacks, were casually thrown away. Recycling
remains an evolving American success story, and with ingenuity and leadership,
we continue to build our environmental future.
Innovation is all around us, in all of the elements that make up our materials
recovery system.
Policy: Climate change and energy policy require us to look at
the policy dynamics that are the foundation of our recycling programs.
Management: Communities and businesses everywhere are focusing
on best management practices and continuous improvement programs to ensure that
recovery programs are optimized for performance and value. Corporations
world-wide have recognized that environmental sustainability, and its recycling
component, are central to the corporate purpose.
Finance: We see the possibility for new means to finance
recycling, from the proven models of PAYT, to the innovations in incentive-based
recycling and the product stewardship models of e-recycling. In addition, we
see climate change as a springboard for new investment in recycling
infrastructure to realize, monetarily, the energy and greenhouse gas emissions
reductions of recycling.
Technology: To keep pace with the changing nature of our
products and packages, and to establish a durable business model for materials
recovery, new technology is being demanded by processors from both the public
and private sector.
Education: We are learning how to better educate our citizenry,
from where all recycling starts. The time is ripe for a great national campaign
of environmental awareness and consistent environmental behavior. With
innovative research and education programs, we truly can change the world, one
container or newspaper at a time.
For more information or to register go to:
http://events.jspargo.com/nrc08/public/enter.aspx
Study Says
Livestock Manure Could Meet 3% of North American Energy Needs
A new paper by researchers at the University of
Texas postulates that converting livestock manure into biogas has the potential
to meet 3% of North America's entire energy needs while greatly helping to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers argue that by employing
anaerobic digestion to manure, similar to the way in which compost is created,
could generate energy-rich biogas. Hundreds of millions of livestock inhabiting
the US could produce approximately 100 billion KW hours of electricity, enough
to power millions of homes. Processing the manure rather than allowing it to
decompose naturally would avoid emissions of the highly potent greenhouse gases
nitrous oxide and methane...Read
More »
E-Scrap Conference, September 17-18,
in Phoenix
Resource Recycling sponsors the world's largest
electronics recycling conference, scheduled for September 17-18 in Phoenix. As a favor to
NMRC members, they are offering a
$25 registration discount. All registrants need to do is write "NMRC
discount" on the registration form.
Full conference details are at
www.e-scrapconference.com.
Waste Management Launches Household
CFL Recycling Program
Waste Management, Inc.
has
launched ThinkGreenFromHome.com, a streamlined online service for
the recycling of universal household waste including compact
fluorescent lamps (CFLs), batteries, and eventually other household
electronics. ThinkGreenFromHome.com offers consumers convenient
mail-in solutions to safely store and recycle heavy metal containing
household devices, as well as resources to encourage household
sustainability.
CFL recycling represents the core service
ThinkGreenFromHome.com offers consumers. CFLs provide energy savings
and help reduce a household's environmental profile. However, since
the devices contain mercury, proper handling and disposal of the
bulbs is an important consideration. CFL use is growing rapidly - it
is expected that some 4 billion CFLs will be in household use by
2012 - but safe, convenient methods for recycling CFLs and other
household universal waste have previously been lacking.
To safely store and recycle used CFLs and batteries,
customers can order online and receive prepaid-postage kits
delivered to their door. Think Green® From Home CFL recycling kits
incorporate Mercury VaporLok TM technology, which is designed to
reduce the risk of airborne exposure and environmental contamination
from lamps broken during storage and shipping. The kits are suitable
for both the storage and transport of discarded bulbs or batteries
and are approved for shipping by the United States Postal Service.
Consumers can ship the boxes directly from their home or at any one
of the over 34,000 postal offices across the country.
"Waste Management helps consumers
responsibly handle the growing household universal waste stream,"
said Rick Cochrane, senior business director of Waste Management's
LampTracker® program. "With the 2012 deadline for the use of CFLs,
customers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to properly
dispose of household universal waste and the Think Green® From Home
program makes recycling this waste as safe and convenient as
possible."
WM LampTracker®, a division of Waste
Management, also provides total-care solutions for the storage,
handling, transport and recycling of fluorescent lamps for small,
medium and large-scale businesses across North America.
ThinkGreenFromHome.com uses the WM LampTracker® service record in
the commercial sector to provide the most streamlined avenue for
consumers to recycle their universal household waste with
confidence.
For more information on CFL, battery and
electronic waste recycling, or to order recycling kits, visit
www.thinkgreenfromhome.com.
Call for Recycled Material Artists
The Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival is celebrating its tenth year on November
14-16 at El Museo Cultural in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Working with Keep Santa Fe
Beautiful and their recycling education efforts surrounding America Recycles Day
(November 15th), this event attracts thousands of art lovers, trashy shoppers
and the eco-conscious holiday gift-giver.
2008 artist applications are now available at
www.recyclesantafe.org
for Art Market vendors, Juried Art Show exhibitors, Trash Fashion & Costume
Contest designers and Youth Juried Art Show exhibitors. For more information
contact Sarah Pierpont at 505-603-0558 or
skpierpont@yahoo.com.
Recycling Commodity Prices
for August
*Please note that this is a sample of what is being
offered in New Mexico for certain commodities.
These prices are
for partial loads. Full truckloads of any of the materials would be paid at a
greater price depending on the pick-up location and destination of the material.
Cardboard…………$65-$105/ton. Price for
cardboard will be down $5/ton for August. Some mills have been running below
their capacity and overseas exports are still slow due to lack of shipping
containers. Things may change when two new mills start operations in the
next months.
Newspaper……………………….…$45-$95/ton
(increased from July)
Sorted Office
Paper…….$45-$165/ton.
Mixed
paper………………………….$5-$50/ton
Shrink
wrap…………………………...$0.05-$0.10/lb
PET bottles
(#1)……………………...$0.03-$0.10/lb
Milk Jugs,
natural HDPE (#2)………$0.03-$0.06/lb
Single color
HDPE…………………..$0.03-$0.06/lb
Aluminum
Cans………………………$0.48-$0.75/lb
Clean
Stainless Steel…………………$0.48-$0.80/lb
Grants and Loans
State
Loans
NMED
Constructions Programs Bureau offers low-interest loans for solid waste
projects:
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/cpb/rip.html .
Jobs
Executive
Director, National Recycling Coalition, Washington.
Details are
available
here.
BuRRT Site Manager, Buckman Road
Recycling & Transfer Station (BuRRT), Santa Fe.
Click here for job announcement.
BuRRT Education and Outreach
Coordinator, Buckman Road Recycling & Transfer Station (BuRRT), Santa Fe.
Click here for job announcement.
Full-time Executive Director,
The Indiana Recycling Coalition, Indianapolis The IRC, a not-for-profit organization, seeks a
self-starter for Executive Director position. Duties include administrative
activities, meeting and event planning, fundraising and membership services.
Public/government relations experience and working knowledge of web-based
tools a plus. Position works from home in the Indianapolis area. Salary
$35,000 plus, depending on experience. Job posting and description available
at www.IndianaRecycling.org . Email resume by 8/13 to
HR@IndianaRecycling.org
Regional Round-Up
Albuquerque: Will host an
electronics collection event in conjunction with Intel and KOAT-TV on August
22 and 23.
Submit your community's news by emailing
english@recyclenewmexico.com . We love to hear about news from
around the stae!
Recycling Tidbits
NPR Story on
Recycling
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92913195
Donation Program Redirects Used Footwear
From Landfills
Lehigh Safety Shoe Co. and Soles4Souls have teamed up to
keep safety shoes and boots out of the landfill while providing for
people in need.
They are implementing a grassroots effort to redirect gently used
shoes and boots to those who need them, calling on safety directors,
plant managers and human resources personnel from industrial
companies throughout the nation to join. Participating locations
will receive donation boxes, brochures and advertising materials to
host shoe recovery events. More information is available at
www.giveshoes.org.
Brooks Introduces Shoes That Can
Biodegrade in 20 Years
Brooks Sports Inc. released the industry's first
biodegradable running shoe. The BioMoGo midsole of the Brooks Trance shoe will
biodegrade 50 times faster than conventional athletic
shoe midsoles without compromising performance or
durability, according to the Bothell, Wash.-based
company. Brooks includes a natural additive to the
midsole that increases the rate of biodegradation by
encouraging anaerobic microbes to break down the
material as a nutrient.
Traditional midsoles, made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate,
can last 1,000 years in a landfill. The BioMoGo midsole
will biodegrade in 20 years, which will save nearly 30
million pounds of waste over that period, said Derek
Campbell, materials engineer for Brooks´ future concepts
team.
The shoes begin to break down only when they are in a
landfill atmosphere, which includes a high microbial
load, low oxygen and adequate moisture.
Multi-Family Recycling
Information
EPA has a few
publications on their web site on
multifamily
recycling:
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/recycle/multifamily.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/recycle/multi.pdf
Calendar
**September 18, NMRC Board
Meeting, Los Alamos, 11 AM. RSVP to
english@recyclenewmexico.com
**September 20-24, National
Recycling Coalition Congress, Pittsburgh, PA.
www.nrc-recycle.org
**November 6-7, NMRC Board
Retreat, Sevilleta, Starts at 10 AM on the 6th and ends at 3
Pm on the 7th. RSVP to
english@recyclenewmexico.com
|
Recycling and Composting Facility Operator Certification
Class Schedule for 2008.
Recycling Facility Operator Certification
Course
December 9-11, Santa Fe
Composting Facility Operator Certification
Course
October 7-9, Albuquerque
To register, please go to
www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes.htm
|
If you have questions about any of the
above information or have articles for future Recycling
Scraps, please e-mail or call me.
English Bird
Executive
Director
New Mexico Recycling Coalition
PO Box 24364, Santa Fe, NM 87502
english@recyclenewmexico.com
(505)
983-4470
Fax (505)
466-6266
