Community Recycling

Starting or expanding a recycling program takes proper planning and usually some infrastructure development to collect, store and process the material. Setting a recycling rate is a critical component that sets the bar of success. NMRC is encouraging all communities in New Mexico to make the commitment to 35% by 2018.

Your community can measure your success using EPA's WAste Reduction Model (WARM) model to calculate energy savings and carbon emission reductions. more

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Planning for Successful Recycling in Your Community
NMRC is here to support the growth of your recycling program and connect you to resources such as end-market processors as well as technical and planning assistance. more

Local Use of Glass Recycling
With a lack of markets for glass in NM, NMRC has created a guide to provide guidance on how communities can crush glass and use the material locally on public works and roads projects. more

Tools a Community Can Use to Increase Recycling
Develop a Community Recycling Plan with short-term and long-term goals, as well as the necessary steps to accomplish this. more

Finding Funding for Recycling

The 2008 NM Recycling Conference held a session dedicated to this topic. There are recycling grants, construction loan programs, capital outlay requests, a local environmental gross receipts tax (GRT) and a general local GRT that can be used to fund projects. more

• Recycling and Illegal Dumping Grants more

• NM Construction Programs Bureau Loan Program more

• Keep New Mexico Beautiful Grants more

Pay-As-You-Throw - Another Funding Tool
Communities that implement Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) typically see a decrease in solid waste by 45% in both source reduction and increased recycling, while covering their costs to manage solid waste. PAYT is like utility billing, where the customer pays for what they use. more

Social Marketing - Tactics to Improve Recycling
Aceti Associates provides numerous studies on increasing recycling participation in such venues as residential, commercial and event recycling. more

Make Recycling Convenient and Easy for Residents

In smaller communities, provide convenient drop-off containers either at transfer stations where residents deliver their trash or in highly visible and accessible locations throughout town. Curbside collection of recyclables provides the most convenient method and dramatically increases recycling rates.

Proper Signage Download free, standardized recycling signs developed by NMRC to label your recycling collection equipment. more

Educate, Educate, Educate

Year-round outreach activities to citizens via different tactics is critical to sustained participation. more

Commit to Buying Recycled
New Mexico maintains state procurement guidelines providing for a 5% preference and requires a minimum of 25% recycled-content. more

Add New Items to the Recycling Mix

By expanding materials accepted by your community, you will offer more opportunity to reduce the waste stream. Only add items that make economic sense to collect, process and market and that have an end-market to sell to.

Business Recycling

Launching a program focused on collecting business recycling can greatly increase recycling volume. more

Reduce and Reuse
Reducing resource consumption at the front end and reusing is a model that can be embraced in any communiy. Include ideas on how to reduce and reuse in all outreach materials. Consider adding a Reuse "Swap Shop" at the transfer or drop-off stations. more

Regional Partnerships - Hub and Spoke

Reaching out to surrounding communities to partner on storage of materials before shipment to market, joint outreach and collection programs, and shared equipment can make recycling more economically viable. more

Event Recycling

Many communities can offer recycling at events and fairs to increase recycling opportunities. more