Recycling Scraps
August 5, 2011

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Roadrunner Food Bank's New Recycling Program a Huge Success

The Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico began a recycling program four months ago.  Prior to the launch of this program the non-profit’s trash bill averaged $9,351 per month. With the program in place now for 4 full months, they’ve dropped their average monthly costs to $3,762 per month.  This is equivalent to a 60% reduction.  The above costs cover the cost of the trash and trash rental bins, the haul fee for the food waste, the cost of the compactor used to haul waste and now the value also includes the recycling fees.

The new recycling program includes recycling cardboard and paper which they bale and sell, plastic and tin that go to a local recycler (the organization pays to have them picked up) and food waste that goes to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) composting program.  The Water Authority accepts the material without a tipping fee: the Foodbank simply pays for hauling costs to get the material there.  Roadrunner sent 14 loads of food waste to ABCWUA within the past four months and created at least 30 bales of cardboard.

The new recycling program is expected to produce annual savings of roughly $67,000 each year!  This converts to $603,000 more dollars worth of food that the organization can send out the door to New Mexico families in need.  This figure doesn’t include the money earned from the sale of recyclables. 

With the new program in place, Roadrunner Food Bank went from filling their 32 yard compactor every day with approximately 18,000 pounds of waste that went to the landfill to having two open-top 6 yard containers that are picked up every day. Taking into account the fact that their compactor condenses the materials on a one to four yard ratio, the massive volume reduction in landfill usage is approximately 128 yards of waste a day down to 12 yards of waste per day! 

Roadrunner noted that the biggest expense in starting up the program was the manpower to strip all the food from the packaging and getting a second set of containers to sort everything. The Foodbank covered the costs of the containers, and through a Recycling and Illegal Dumping grant that Bernalillo county received, additional compactor costs will be covered.  The manpower is supplied by the CCP Program (Community Custody Participants). They are ‘inmates’ of the jail that are on work / home release and must work a certain number of hours in the week. This is one option for them if they don’t have a formal job. The program supplies 10-15 people per day for a 4 hour shift and Roadrunner reports that their support is invaluable.

Overall, it took multiple months of planning to make this happen and the group had multiple different agencies and businesses that participated to help them get started. Recycling required a totally new way of thinking about their operational processes and a change for about 50 of their staff members who work in the warehouse.

Teresa Johnson, Roadrunner Purchasing & Procurement Manager noted that, “Now that it is in place and everyone sees the benefits to it – there is lots of support and I’m sure we’d never go back to the way things used to be.  That wasn’t clear when we started. We really had no idea it would be this successful.”

Not only does recycling allow the Foodbank to provide food to more New Mexicans in need by saving money, it is also helping out furry friends.  They now sort all the meat products that can’t go to humans and give them to the Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah. They are able to provide the sanctuary enough food to almost exclusively feed all 50 wolves through their donations. Really a win-win-win situation at work.

The Foodbank is based in Albuquerque.

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Las Cruces Cleans Up 9 Tons of Illegally Dumped Waste

By Esmeralda Almanza for Las Cruces Sun News - It took almost a month, but Bureau of Land Managment employees have removed nine tons of illegally dumped waste — mostly construction debris, bags of household trash, furniture and old appliances — from the desert surrounding La Union. That's in addition to almost 60 tons picked up this year from the rest of Doña Ana County — and there is more to come.

It was a joint effort: the BLM provided manpower, in coordination with the South Central Solid Waste Authority providing big rolloff containers and free dumping at Corralitos Landfill, while Doña Ana County brought in tractors and other heavy equipment, and worked with volunteers from the town of La Union to clean up what used to be a trashed desert area.

"Illegal dumping is a reality in this region, which needs to be dealt with, and La Union is where we start," said Doña Ana's District 2 County Commissioner Dolores Saldaña-Caviness.

The La Union clean up is a priority project and the pilot program of many clean ups to come, according to BLM Chief of Operations Rusty Stovall. "This is not the first clean up BLM has done, but it is the first of this magnitude. This time around, it's a collaborative effort and we want to make sure we do it right on all fronts," he said.

Cleaning up illegal dumping restores the pristine desert for the moment, but it doesn't solve the problem. All parties collaborating agree that to stop illegal dumping, both law enforcement and education have to be a part of the program.

Doña Ana County Codes Enforcement, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, will ensure this newly cleaned land stays that way. "We will have signage that identifies this area as an enforcement zone," explained Patrick Peck, director of the South Central Solid Waste Authority. "Field officers in the county will have GPS units to map more enforcement zones as they go along; so far we've identified six areas."

Health and Human Services will focus on another key area — educating the public. "Illegal dumping will be talked about with the community to get a two-way dialogue, and get our message out," says Vanessa Kaye Duncan, BLM Occupational Health, Safety and Hazardous Material Specialist.

New Mexico State University students were also summoned to be a part of this effort. As BLM employees hired for the summer cleanup, they are skilled and trained to move the trash out and get everything clean.

"We worked with the environmental science program to get students with experience in hazardous waste, so they know how to handle whatever trash they find in the desert. They've also got training in defensive driving, public interaction and safety," says Duncan.

Residents of La Union are thrilled to be the first cleanup. "We needed this cleanup so bad — I am very glad they are doing this to address illegal dumping," said Art Terrazas, consultant for the Town of La Union.

On the cleanup horizon: three sites south of 404 near Anthony and Chaparral, one in Hill and a small area in Mesquite. The cleanup is far from over.

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Fire at Albuquerque Metals Recycling in the South Valley

From KOAT 7 - A fire at a South Valley scrap metal recycling facility in Bernalillo County has some residents worried about potentially dangerous fumes wafting from the plant. Fire crews said the fire at the Albuquerque Metals Recycling plant on Second Street broke out at about 5:30 p.m. July 25, 100% contained by July 27th and extinguished by July 28th.

Department.Officials said a pile of foam and scrap metal caught fire, spreading to plenty of other sources of fuel inside the plant. Firefighters said it's tough to know what exactly was on fire at the plant. The thick cloud of black smoke rising from the plant had nearby homeowners concerned. Even though the fire is contained, the smoke continues to billow from the charred recycling plant.Bernalillo County fire crews got some extra help from Valencia County to bring the fire under control.

Officials said there isn't much they can do about the smoke, but county workers did issue a health alert. Environmental health officials said it's understandable that there is public concern about how the fire affected air quality and water. Officials said firefighters dumped gallons of water on the burning trash pile, which washed over unknown materials and ran off onto the ground or formed pools.

Experts said that in order to figure out what could have seeped into the groundwater, they need to know what was burned."This is not the first fire the facility has had, which is why I think an investigation into the cause of the fire will tell us whether that business was doing something it should not have been doing," said Environmental Health Manager George Schroeder.The smoke from the fire may be a health concern. Everyone downwind from the fire, especially those afflicted with certain medical conditions including chronic lung disease such as asthma and heart disease were advised toshould take precautions.

The City of Albuquerque had issued a health advisory on July 27th because the flames released massive plumes of smoke over the area, that could contain toxic metals like lead, aluminum and iron, which are metals normally found in car parts. The health advisory was lifted on July 28th.

The New Mexico Environment Department reported it is making every effort to find out if Albuquerque Metals Recycling was following procedure.

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Otero County Helps Tire Recycling in Chaparral

From Alamogordo Daily News - The Otero County Commission approved a resolution at its regular meeting Thursday to help a man start his tire recycling project in Chaparral. The resolution, the agenda report explains, declares the commission's intent to pass an ordinance supporting a private activity bond that will help finance a tire recycling facility in Chaparral.

Commission chairman Ronny Rardin said he recently attended a conference where he learned about bonds, and private activity bonds are "the best" and "the wave of the future." Rardin said the bonds are funded by private entities and issued to private business people to do a service in the county, and the county has no cost or obligation.

"This businessman wants to apply for the bonds," Rardin said. "We're just the middleman."

Oswaldo Galarza, CEO of Albuquerque-based Alternative Industry Resources, is the businessman who wants to recycle tires in Chaparral. He addressed the county commission at its Jan. 27 meeting, saying A.I.R. had sent the county a proposal several months before. At that time, he asked for the county's help in securing federal qualified energy conservation bonds available for counties. Galarza said the company also needed land from the county.

Galarza also invited commissioners to Albuquerque to see his company's miniature laboratory, which takes in tires and turns out oil and carbon. He said all of the carbon that comes out is already sold to companies in Juarez that make inks or paint.

Janet White, president of the Otero County Tea Party, on Thursday requested commissioners wait to pass anything until the next work session since she didn't see it during the work session July 13 and wasn't familiar with the agenda item.

Commissioner Tommie Herrell responded that the commission is trying to improve the county by bringing in a business that will recycle tires, supporting both economic development and the environment. He reiterated Rardin's comment that the action will impose no obligation on the county. He said the item was time sensitive and he'd already told Galarza the commission would act on it at Thursday's meeting.

Herrell said the county is authorizing the companies to use the county's name to issue bonds. Acting county manager Pamela Heltner reiterated that it will not obligate the county in any way. Commissioner Susan Flores pointed out this was not a general obligation bond, which is paid by taxpayers, but a private activity bond between private entities. Rardin explained the resolution was a letter of intent.

White said it was more than a letter of intent, and pointed out some language she was uncomfortable with. Herrell said any legal document requires such language. The company had wanted the resolution more tightly worded.

Herrell explained the resolution will process through the state Department of Finance and Administration, which will perform due diligence to ensure the tire recycling project is viable and truly exists.

Herrell said in addition to cleaning up tires and creating jobs, the tire recycling facility will lease land from the county, so the county benefits that way, too. Herrell said junk tires are a big problem in New Mexico, and this new recycling technique may be exactly what is needed to solve the issue.

"We've got them all over the state," Herrell said. "I've seen it in the newspaper and on TV here lately where they found about 600,000 tires in a place up in northern New Mexico ... so it's a big issue." Rardin said the county required A.I.R. to get a $2 million bond, so if A.I.R. pollutes the property the county leases to them, that bond will cover the cost of cleanup.

County resident Harry Barney said he's seen the same scenario in El Paso County twice, and both times the county and local neighborhoods had to clean up the project area. Both companies were supposedly quality operations. He said after about six months of cutting up tires, nothing happened and there are now thousands of bales of cut up tires stacked in the desert that nobody knows what to do with.

Rardin said A.I.R. will recycle the tires in a different way, and he's seen the process in person. "I don't know if it will work. I hope it does," Rardin said. "But I'll tell you this: nothing ventured, nothing gained."

The commission approved the resolution unanimously.

According to A.I.R.'s website, http://air-nm.com, the company is working with Titan Technologies and Sandia Development Inc. to develop a commercial-scale "tire-to-fuel" facility using low-temperatures pyrolysis technology. It says the facility will create 160 local jobs and recycle millions of tires.

At the January meeting, Galarza told the commission the location of the project is important, for there should be a good supply of tires within easy distance. He also introduced county resident Lance Grace, who talked about the process Galarza's company plans to use with the tires.

Grace said he is not part of Galarza's company or involved in their project. Grace said he's created the world's cleanest wood-burning fireplace, and his company has the only technology in the world that does this. He said the process Galarza's company uses is "kind of a cousin" to the technology he uses in his fireplaces.

Grace said in organic chemistry, through time, temperature and pressure, anything organic can be turned back into some of its basic elements. Tires can be turned into oil and carbon. Steel from old tires can also be recycled.

Grace described the reactor that the tires are processed in and said the carbon fibers that come from recycled tires are probably more expensive than their weight in gold. Computers can also be thrown into the reactor, which breaks them down into oil and a number of inorganic compounds like silver, gold and platinum.

"This is real, this is not a flim-flam technology. That's what I wanted to say," Grace said. "And the important thing is the location of a plant like this because you need it right next to your source, and your source for tires is right across the border in Mexico."

Grace said used tires from the U.S. go to Mexico, where they are used again until they are used up. Then they are tossed in the desert, and he said there are big piles of tires in the Mexican desert.

Galarza said everything gleaned from the recycled tires - the carbon, oil and steel - is sold. He said all of the carbon that comes out of A.I.R.'s process is already sold to companies in Juarez that make inks or paint, but they got another contract with a company in Ohio that will pay more for the carbon and wants to buy all of it.

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T or C's The Bountiful Alliance Hosts Monthly Recycling Collection Events

This month's recycling drive hosted by The Bountiful Alliance (TBA) helped approximately 30 households recycle their household recycling. The monthly recycling events began in 2007.

TBA works with Sierra County Farmers' Market, The Community Garden, The Recycling Project, Renewable Energy, Water Harvesting and several other community committees to work to improve the lives of the residents of Sierra County, New Mexico.

The Bountiful Alliance is a 501c-3 organized for the charitable and educational purposes of: To identify, develop, encourage and support projects programs and activities of benefit to the community.

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Santa Fe Community College to Receive $300,000 for EPA Job Training

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded a $300,000 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant to Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) to promote green jobs in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The project will target unemployed veterans and Native Americans and teach environmental job skills. The jobs will aid in the redevelopment of economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and revitalize Brownfields properties.

“The Brownfields Job Training Program provides a tremendous opportunity for people to learn the skills needed to secure fulltime employment in the environmental field,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. “Green job creation is important to our economy and we will continue to work with communities to further sustainable initiatives.”

SFCC plans to place recruits into environmental jobs after 180 hours of training in solid waste management, energy efficiency technologies and renewable energy preparation and installation. The organization will also offer training in hazardous waste operations and emergency response training and underground storage tank leak prevention, construction and demolition waste recycling and renewable energy technologies awareness.

SFCC will also work the Jaynes Corporation, New Mexico Veterans Administration, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos and local employers to facilitate job placement.

EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program helps train people for jobs in the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties, including abandoned gas stations, old textile mills, closed smelters and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Brownfields often help investments target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

Twenty-one governmental entities and non-profit organizations in twenty states are receiving up to $300,000 each to train individuals in the cleanup of contaminated sites and in health and safety, as well as other environmental skills such as recycling center operator training, green building design, energy efficiency, weatherization, solar installation, construction and demolition debris recycling, emergency response and native plant revegetation.

More about activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html

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New Federal E-Scrap Policy Announced

From Resource Recycling - Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson joined the heads of the General Services Administration, the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the CEOs of Dell, Sprint and Sony to unveil a new federal strategy to promote electronics recycling.

Speaking at Round2's e-scrap processing facility in Austin, Texas, Jackson and others outlined a set of new policies, based on recommendations made by the Obama Administration's Federal Electronics Stewardship Working Group, convened last November. Representing a partnership between the federal government, OEMs and e-scrap processors, some highlights from the new policy direct the government to do the following:

Encourage the development of more efficient and sustainable electronics and direct federal agencies to procure and recycle their electronics responsibly. The federal government is the largest single consumer of electronics and wields enormous purchasing power. Using the new guidelines, the GSA will remove products from its purchase contracts that do not meet environmental and efficiency guidelines – specifically, products that do not meet Energy Star and EPEAT requirements, and/or ones that are not designed for recycling. The GSA is also directed to use certified electronics processors or manufacturer take-back programs for all non-functional equipment disposal. A landfill ban is also in effect for all federal IT equipment.

Support recycling options for consumers. Dell, Sprint and Sony were all on-hand at the July 20 announcement to jointly announce their commitment to electronics recycling options in the consumer space. With half the nation's states now implementing electronics recycling programs, and all of those – except California – relying on some form of extended producer responsibility, the participation of OEMs and retailers is critical to successful electronics recycling expansion. The new policies encourage companies to voluntarily adopt similar environmental and efficiency guidelines for their consumer products, to those used by the GSA.

Support research on electronics recycling. The policy urges the development of competitive grant processes and design competitions to further the development of domestic electronics recycling infrastructure, and improve product design. The official report did not mention HR 2396 introduced by Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Maryland), which would create a similar grant system. However, it did cite growing concerns over rare earth metal supplies as an imperative to develop new reclamation technologies.

Strengthen the U.S. role in international electronics stewardship. Perhaps the biggest announcement of the day was the recommendation that the government support ratification of the Basel Convention. If it moves forward, the move would be a boon for those who advocate for tighter controls on the international movement of electronic scrap. More broadly, the policy also lends the official support of the government to both the R2 and e-Stewards standards, and to other accredited, regularly-audited certification programs for electronics recycling. Under this new policy, the EPA will increase its efforts to encourage companies to become certified. Additionally, it opens the door to possible regulatory changes to improve compliance with the CRT Rule and other export regulations.

Reaction from the electronics recycling industry was swift, with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries praising the Obama Administration for "concrete, practical steps to address how the U.S. will manage its used and end-of-life electronics." ISRI also said the new policies were in line with ones the organization is currently pursuing and applauded the emphasis on recycling job creation.

In comments made before the announcement, the Basel Action Network voiced its approval that the government would be encouraging the expansion of certification standards. BAN oversees the e-Stewards standard. The R2 standard was developed by industry stakeholders and facilitated by the EPA.

UPDATE 1: In the day following the announcement, several more organizations released statements on the new electronics recycling policy.

Despite its earlier tentative support and the working group's recommendation that the government ratify the Basel Convention, the Basel Action Network called the new policy "a living contradiction" saying that while it approved of many of the report's recommendations, it was disappointed by what it called "a missed opportunity" to ensure that all federal agencies halt any export of electronics that are not fully functional to non-OECD countries.

"On the one hand it claims to promote responsible recycling and job creation here in the U.S., but then does nothing to prevent e-waste exporting, which squanders our critical metals resources and poisons children abroad while exporting good recycling jobs from our country," said BAN executive director Jim Puckett, in a media release.

However, OEMs and the electronics industry echoed ISRI's support of the new policy.

The Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company (MRM)said the new national strategy on e-scrap was in line with its efforts to "inject greater accountability into the recycling of waste electronics." MRM also took the opportunity to reiterate its support for third party certification of e-scrap processors.

Founded in 2007 by Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba, and later joined by Mitsubishi Electric and Vizio, MRM is a partnership of approximately 30 OEMs and retailers with collection operations in 16 states. It recycled 30 million pounds of electronics in 2010, and has recycled over 112 million pounds since its inception.

The Consumer Electronics Associationalso weighed in on the new national policy. The CEA recently launched its own voluntary eCycling Leadership Initiative, which shares electronics recycling information and resources with its members, and has proposed an ambitious set of goals to triple the amount of electronics recycled in the U.S. by 2016.

"We look forward to continuing our dialogue with EPA, GSA and CEQ in the hopes of fortifying a robust public-private partnership that ensures consumers across our nation have ample opportunities to recycle electronics responsibly," said CEA vice president for environmental affairs Walter Alcorn. "A formidable partnership is the best way to develop a national approach to eCycling that replaces the patchwork of costly and confusing state regulations."

UPDATE 2:In response to E-Scrap News questions on the new policy's stance on third-party certification, EPA spokesperson Stacy Kika says that while the EPA did facilitate the development of the R2 standard, it does not have a preference for either R2 or e-Stewards.

"Using recyclers that have been certified to either of these programs will significantly advance environmentally sound recycling wherever it is managed," says Kika. "However, as part of the National Stategy for Electronics Stewardship, EPA is partnering with [GSA] and other agencies to develop baseline criteria to be included in electronics recycling standards to be used in managing the federal government's used electronics."

Additionally, Kika said that the EPA is not taking a position on current e-scrap legislation pending in Congress, but that the research agenda outlined in [HR 2396] aligns with the research goals articulated in the new policy. The report, and subsequent comments, did not mention HR 2284, which would which would prohibit the export of certain types of e-scrap to developing countries.

UPDATE 3: Writing in response to the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship announcement Congressmen Mike Thompson (D-California) and Gene Green (D-Texas) applauded the government's action on e-scrap. The two representatives are the authors of HR 2284.

"While the announcement is an important first step in the fight against electronic waste, there is still more to be done. Currently, the administration has limited authority to prevent the shipment of hazardous or sensitive e-waste to developing nations," read a joint statement. "That's why Congress must supplement the President's proposal with legislation to carefully regulate the export of e-waste, particularly when it poses a significant environmental, health and national security threat."

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PepsiCo Announces 2011/2012 Dream Machine Recycle Rally for K-12 Schools

The Dream Machine Recycle Rally™ is a program that aims to raise awareness of the importance of recycling among students, grades K-12, and gives schools a chance to earn rewards and compete for contest prizes, all while helping to make the planet a cleaner, greener place, and supporting post-9/11 disabled U.S. veterans. It's one pillar of the Dream Machine recycling program - a multi-year collaboration between PepsiCo, Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful, that utilizes www.greenopolis.com. In addition to making thousands of recycling bins and kiosks available in popular public venues - such as gas stations, supermarkets, stadiums and public parks - the Dream Machine program wants to give schools a chance to get in on the action. The Dream Machine program is designed around PepsiCo's goal of creating strategic partnerships to help increase the U.S. beverage container recycling rate to 50 percent by 2018.

Realizing the benefits of recycling requires people to participate. The Dream Machine program looks to the enthusiasm and passion of students, parents, school faculty and administration to help make recycling part of everyday behavior, and make a difference for our planet and post-9/11 U.S. veterans with disabilities through the Dream Machine Recycle Rally.

As part of the Dream Machine Recycle Rally, students are encouraged to collect non-alcoholic beverage containers (plastic bottles and aluminum cans) and bring them into school to earn points redeemable with local businesses and/or national retailers for rewards such as sporting goods, electronics, gift cards, educational events, and music, books and videos. The more a school recycles the more rewards it can earn! In addition, there are new program contests, rewards and incentives being announced frequently, so be sure to check back often to learn more.

What's more, for the bottles and cans recycled through the Dream Machine Recycle Rally -and the broader Dream Machine recycling initiative-PepsiCo will provide support to the Enterpreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, a national program offering free education in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities, so that our nation's heroes can make their own dreams come true.

It's FREE to participate! Pepsico recognizes taht resources can be limited, so program tools, promotional materials and detailed program information will be provided to make participation in the Dream Machine Recycle Rally convenient and rewarding. And, arranging for the pick-up of recycled beverage containers is easy - local representatives will work with schools to put together a collection plan. Once that's set, Waste Management, or another approved recycler, will simply pick up the recyclables, audit them to validate the points earned, and take them to a local recycling facility for processing. Learn more and register at http://www.dreammachinerecyclerally.com/apply/

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Back-to-School Going Green Checklist

From Treehugger.com - Now that summer is waning, and the days are shortening, many kids (and their parents) are getting ready to go back to school. With the autumnal rite of passage comes myriad back-to-school sales and retail overload as stocks of pencils, pens, and paper are depleted in anticipation of a year full of learning. So, how do you combine school's three R's -- that's readin', writin' and 'rithmetic -- with the planet's three R's of reduce, reuse, and recycle? Here's how to follow up your green summer, full of green barbeques and fun, with a green school year.

Though it happens every year, we still seem programmed to equate going back to school with buying tons of new stuff; indeed, the average family with school-aged children will spend $594.24 on back-to-school purchases this year. And, while schooling requires supplies, we too often turn to disposable supplies to do the job -- six billion pens are thrown away in the U.S. every year, for example.

Preparation is important, but so is following your green prep with green behavior, extending your good green start to behaviors that last all year. For example, every ton of paper -- or 220,000 sheets--  that is recycled saves approximately 17 trees. For scale, the average school tosses 38 tons of paper -- the equivalent of 644 trees -- each year, so purchasing post-consumer recycled paper, and making sure that it gets recycled again, can make a big difference. Below are some pointers on how to go green when going back to school.

Top Green Back to School Tips

1. Get off to a Good Green Start Before hitting the malls or online shops in search of green back to school gear, plan out your day (and your year) at school, and ask yourself some questions. Are you really going to ride your bike enough to warrant buying a new set of wheels? Are you going to be diligent enough about bringing your lunch each day (or most days) to require a new lunchbox or other reusable vessel? Do you really need a new ruler (the measurements haven't changed over the summer, you know) or a package of 68 pens? Make a list of what you absolutely know you need, what you think you might need, and what you want, and carefully consider which items go in which section of the list. Once your list is made, it's time to...
2. Take Inventory and Avoid Duplicates
   Once you've gotten in green back to school mode, most of us will be faced with the reality that getting ready to go back to school requires stuff -- school supplies, clothes, backpacks, etc. -- but it doesn't always require new stuff. Take a careful inventory of what you already have that can be used again -- think more durable items, like clothes and shoes -- and what's still waiting to be used for the first time -- extra packs of pencils, notebooks, etc. Avoid last-minute impulse purchases by making a list of what you need (and sticking to it!) before you head to the store. Following these steps will save materials as well as your dollars.
3. Find Green Clothes
   Almost half of the money spent on back to school shopping goes to buying clothes, but new threads don't have to come with sticker shock. Hand-me-downs are a great place to get started, and thrift stores and events like Swap-o-Rama-Rama can be a fun (and cheap!) way to send your kiddies back to school in low-impact duds. Style-conscious teens can find gently used (but still ultra-hip) clothes at stores like Buffalo Exchange. If these options are exhausted before your list is done, and you have to buy new, go for well-made, high-quality choices made from more sustainable fabrics like organic cotton or bamboo rather than disposable fashion that'll wear out (and wear down the planet's resources) before spring graduation.
4. Write this Down: Choose Greener Pens and Pencils
   Believe it or not, writing implement technology has improved since we were trudging uphill (both ways!) in the snow to get to school. The days of package upon package of disposable pen and pencil are gone, replaced by biodegradable pencils, refillable pens, and recycled versions of both. Once you have greener options in hand, encourage your youngsters to hang on to each pencil 'til it wears down to the nub, and to each pen as long as possible. The Green Office has a handful of handy kits that'll cover most bases from kids in kindergarten through eighth grade.
5. Don't be a Paper Pusher
   Although many kids are internet masters, e-mailing homework is uncommon in most K-12 schools, where paper is still king -- for taking notes, writing papers, and making airplanes. But that doesn't mean that you or your child can't take steps to cut down your paper consumption. Buy products with the highest percentage of post-consumer recycled content possible, that is processed chlorine free (PCF), such as New Leaf Paper for printers, and Mead Recycled Notebooks for use in school; learn more about paper options on TreeHugger. Next, use these products to their maximum efficiency by printing on both sides of the paper, using paper already printed on one side for drafts (or better yet editing all drafts in the computer itself), and filling notebooks from cover to cover before purchasing a new one. And it never hurts to ask teachers if you can email in your work.
6. Beware the Miscellaneous Supply Overload
   Bigger items, like backpacks, and stuff that doesn't get used every day, like glue sticks, colored pencils, and markers, are still necessary in many cases, but, because they either last longer (in the case of backpacks) or usually don't get used every day (with things like art supplies) you don't need them in the larger quantities typical of printer paper, pencils, and pens. Don't be tempted by the better deal on a dozen bottles of glue if you know you'll only need three bottles between now and next spring. If it doesn't have to come out of the backpack every day (or it is a backpack), think twice about loading up at the beginning of the year. See TreeHugger's back-to-school advice for more supply-related tips.
7. Think Outside the Lunch-Box
   Don't brown bag it; instead opt for a washable, reusable container to tote your lunch too and fro. Just make sure to avoid vinyl lunch boxes which have been shown to contain harmful levels of lead. Instead, invest in a PVC-free, thermally insulated lunch bag, one made from recycled juice boxes or from organic cotton and keep lunches cool by freezing water or juice in a reusable container and putting it in the bag. Instead of using baggies and plastic wrap for sandwiches and snacks, use reusable plastic containers or an easy to clean Wrap-n-Mat. The Laptop Lunch box system is also a solid choice for reusable lunch-packing, and includes individuals containers and beverage holders. For other beverages, beware of plastic bottles which may contain Bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting chemical. Instead go with metal ones such as Klean Kanteen or Sigg which come in kid-friendly sizes and designs.
8. Don't Start a Food Fight
   When it comes to the actual food that goes in the lunch box. Make extra for dinner the night before, leftovers make great lunches. Pack healthy green lunches kids will want to eat, and get them involved in choosing lunch ingredients, since they'll be less likely to pitch stuff they want to eat. Forget the mini-packs of Cheetos and Doritos; apples, oranges, bananas, and other fruit are heathful, waste-free snackables that come with their own compostable wrapping. And, don't forget: Kids need snacks as well as lunch. Try homemade granola bars (see the recipe in the Getting Techie section) rather than individually wrapped purchased bars. Or send them with fruit or vegetable sticks and a couple of slices of cheese.
9. Walking, Biking, Busing: Green Transportation to School
   Going green while getting back and forth to school offers a familiar refrain: human power -- walking or biking -- is best; riding the bus is next; driving alone is last. Events like Walk to School Month and activities like the Walking Bus are making it easier and safer for kids to get to school under their own power; if you don't live close enough to walk, and finding a safe bike route to school is a green way to go, too. Beyond that, even though most school buses get single-digit miles per gallon, they can also hold upwards of 60 or 70 youngsters, making them a cleaner option than single-occupancy cars (Plenty did the math for a single-occupancy hybrid car vs. a bus, and the bus won). If walking, biking, or busing aren't in the cards, be sure to divide the ride and start a parent carpool.
10. Do This Stuff All Year
    Greening your back to school experience is a great way to start the year, and a great way to make progress toward a sustainable lifestyle, but there's no reason to stop after the year has just started. Apply the lessons you've learned preparing to go back to school to other parts of your non-scholastic life, and, when it comes time to re-supply, follow the tips to stay prepared, organized, and green.

Green Back to School: By the Numbers

• 49.8 million: Number of students that will attend public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2008.
• 6.2 million: Number of student expected to attend private school this fall.
• 3.3 million: Number of teachers employed by public school systems.
• 240: Pounds of waste generated per student each year.
• 18,760: Pounds of lunch waste created per year by one elementary school.
• $100,000: Amount that is spent on procuring vegetables each year from local farmers at Berkeley Public Schools, which serves 10,000 students.
• 31: Percentage of kids who live less than a mile from school who walk regularly; half of those within a mile of school usually go by car.
• 60,000: Gallons of gasoline that would be saved each day if just 6 percent of those who drive less than a mile would walk instead.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, HealthySchoolLunches.org, wasteonline.org.uk, americabikes.org, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

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New Mexico Named a "Top" Sustainable State

ite Selection magazine has listed New Mexico in its "top ten" ranking of sustainable states.
New Mexico comes in at No. 10 in a report in the magazine's July 2011 issue. To see the full list, click here.

The magazines' ranking criteria included renewable energy manufacturing, supply chain facilities, biofuels, biomass, recycling plants and electric vehicle suppy chains.

The number of LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects and incentives for green projects were also used to rank states on sustainability issues.

Site Selection is based in Norcross, Ga

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Resource Recycling Conference

August 17-18, 2011 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, Indiana

NMRC's English Bird will be presenting on Hub & Spoke Recycling at the conference. Click here for more information. After providing conference attendeees with a sneak peek last year, English Bird of the New Mexico Recycling Coalition will describe how a large hub-and-spoke collection and processing system is being established in that state. She will describe the system's design, implementation and equipment used to maximize effectiveness, optimize staff time, streamline transportation and bring positive cash flow to smaller, rural programs. Rachel Perry of Cooperative Teamwork and Recycling Assistance will expand on this rural recycling theme by describing how CTRA has crafted tailor-fit programs for Texas communities plagued by limited resources and distance from markets. Stephen Saulnier of the USDA Office of Rural Development has been invited to offer a perspective from the Solid Waste Management grant program.

Glass container producers and scrap glass processors are undertaking a detailed assessment of how to capture more of the material collected for recycling by North American recycling programs. A recent industry meeting assessed options to remove economic and technical barriers to increased cullet use by bottle makers. Extensive interviews with key industry players indicate that glass recycling will become a critical and more important recycling issue in the coming years. Jerry Powell of Resource Recycling will give the full, unbiased picture.

Don't miss the 2011 Resource Recycling Conference, to be held August 17-18, at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, Indiana. For more information, visit www.rrconference.com or click on the banner below.

Additionally, Alan Hale of Logan County, Ohio, which has a population of 47,000 will show how the county’s fully integrated, rural recycling program, with 14 recycling centers, feeds a new central MRF.  Alan will share a compelling story of how strategic application of a USDA rural development grant and some serious innovation has helped this rural community reach a stunning recycling rate in only four years.

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Sign Up Now for the 2011 Recycling and Composting Facility Operator Certification Courses

The NMRC and the New Mexico State Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau will host two recycling courses and two composting courses in 2011. These courses provide an in-depth look at the science, safety, administration and operations of both recycling and composting operations.

Recycling Facility Operators Certification Courses

*December 6-8, Santa Fe register   Held at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center with a tour of the Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station

 

Compost Facility Operators Certification Courses

*October 4-6, Albuquerque register  

Held at the Fire Academy with a tour of Soilutions & the Soil Amendment Facility.

Our maximum class size is 35 students so please remember to register as early as possible to be assured a seat in the course.

Learn more and sign up today at http://www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes.htm

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NASA Gives Kids Their Own Guide to Climate Change

 NASA produced a new educational tool that targets grades four through 6 and is a kid-friendly guide demystifying one of the most important science issues of our time.  One of the Big Questions focuses on what one can do. Visit http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/ to learn more.  Here you will find how reducing, reusing and recycling can make a difference.

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ISRI Releases Recycling Fact Sheets

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling - The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. has released a series of fact sheets meant to serve as an easily accessible resource for policy makers, the media and the public on the environmental and economic benefits of scrap recycling.

The fact sheets provide information on the business of recycling various scrap metal, tires, plastics, e-scrap and fiber. The information included covers the recovery rates, energy saving and other environmental benefits, the size of each industry and more. They also include information of doing outreach with kids, the history of recycling and organizations involved in the industry.

The sheets include such helpful facts as: that, since 1990, Americans have recycled almost 1 billion tons of recovered paper; the U.S. is the largest exporter of ferrous scrap in the world, exporting more than 19 million metric tons in 2010 alone; and, in 2009, 479 million pounds of postconsumer non-bottle rigid plastics were recovered, a 47 percent increase since 2007.

"The scrap recycling industry is not only growing in size, but is continuing to play a more and more important role in job creation, helping level the U.S. trade balance, and strengthening the economy as a whole," said ISRI President Robin Wiener in a prepared statement. "Despite this, many misconceptions about the industry continue to linger. ISRI is a clearinghouse of information about our industry, our members and how what they do is having a positive impact in local communities and around the world."

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Recycling = Jobs

From Resource Recycling - The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) has released a new analysis that provides an in-depth look into how the scrap recycling industry contributes to the economy by providing jobs, products and goods and services.

The study, commissioned by ISRI and undertaken by John Dunham and Associates, closely examines the economic effects of the scrap recycling industry and presents its finding in an interactive website. In addition to providing detailed data on the direct and indirect economic effects of the industry, the study also provides information on the jobs and exports created by it. The comprehensive study also provides a detailed break-down on the national and state level, as well as by legislative and congressional districts.

The study demonstrates that the scrap recycling industry is more than just about hugging trees. It employs 459,131 people and will generate an estimated $10.3 billion in tax revenues for governments across the country in 2011. Additionally, the study also found that the total activity created by the industry in the U.S. will exceed an estimated $90.6 billion in 2011, making it similar in size to the nation's forestry and fishing industries combined. Interestingly, the study also found that the recycling industry contributes as much to the economy as the coal mining industry and nearly as much as all the nation's professional sports teams.

The July 2011 issue of Resource Recycling included a story on the effect of recycling on job creation. Go to http://tinyurl.com/July2011RRJobs to read.

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Recycling Brochure Available Online

Download NMRC's new Recycling Brochure with general information on how and why to recycle in New Mexico at Recycling Brochure

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There is little change on recyclables’ prices this month. Generation is still below normal, but it looks like at least for now, supply has matched demand.

Please note that the following prices reflect what recyclers in our region are paying for recyclable materials for the month of August. Prices may differ due to presentation, transportation costs, or the amounts of materials being picked-up or delivered. The higher price usually applies to full or partial loads of baled material which require no further processing or reloading.

* Only accepting 100 pounds plus of PET #1

Please note that this is a sample of what is being offered in New Mexico for certain commodities. Purchase prices for OCC and Paper are subject to change based on market fluctuations as reflected in the Southwest Region of the Official Board Markets’ Yellow Sheet. Prices vary according to presentation and quantity. 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.

Other resources:

http://www.amm.com/recman/recdata/reccomp.htm for national average commodity prices

http://www.wastenews.com/secondaryfiber/  

http://www.packaging-online.com/

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Recycling Scraps Sponsored By Dex

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Welcome to New Members 2011

Sean Gillespie, GreenPaso Services; Gordon West, Santa Clara Woodworks; Brian Gutierrez, Mr. G's Recycling; Joe McFarlin, EnviroEd, Inc; David Thomas, Rocking V Waterservices Corp; Jo Fanelli, Atlas Pumping Co., Inc.; Daniel Roemer, HaulRite of Four Corners, Inc; Betsy Windisch, McKinley Citizens Recycling Committee; Tara Chisum, Angel Fire Sustainability Committee; David Wentling, GrowRaton!; Connie Grove, Deming Public Schools; Michael Carpenter, Placitas Recycling Assoc.; Brian Gibson, Action Container Solutions; Sandy Blalock, NM Certified Automotive Recyclers Assoc & NM Metal Recyclers Assoc.; Jill Ybarra; Chris Sawyer & Mark Anderson, Philmont Scout Ranch

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Regional Round Up

Philmont Scout Ranch Produces Sustainability & Recycling Video - Located near Cimarron, New Mexico Philmont Scout Ranch is the largest high-adventure base in the country and recently produced a video outlining their sustainabilty efforts. To see the video, visit http://www.youtube.com/philmontscoutranch#p/c/8/gvZVpOTlNe4

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Grants, Loans and Jobs

State Loans

NMED Constructions Programs Bureau offers low-interest loans for solid waste projects: http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/cpb/rip.html

Equipment Mechanic Job in Santa Fe
The Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency is looking for an equipment mechanic to work at their Caja del Rio Landfill and the Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station in Santa Fe. See the full job posting at http://www.sfswma.org/employment.html

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Recycling Tidbits

AF&PA: Paper News Roundup
From Resource Recycling - According to recently-released figures from the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) total production figures were up and down slightly for boxboard, containerboard, Kraft paper, printing-writing paper and recovered paper in June 2011. More

SWANA, NSWMA Endorse Senate Bill Supporting Recycling
The Solid Waste Association of North America announced its strong endorsement of U.S. Senate Resolution 251, which expresses support for the improvement of the collection, processing and consumption of recyclable materials throughout the country.   More»

Waste & Recycling Training Videos Available
Penton Media's Waste Industry Group has launched the Waste360 OnDemand Video Library.   More»

Portland, Ore. Bans Single-Use Plastic Bags
The Portland (Ore.) City Council unanimously approved a single-use plastic bag ban on July 21 that will go into effect on Oct. 15.   More»

Cali Supreme Court Upholds Plastic Bag Distribution Ban
Reversing a lower court ruling, the California Supreme Court has upheld a Manhattan Beach ordinance that bans the use of plastic bags by local businesses.   More»

New 7UP Bottle Made from 100% Recycled PET
PepsiCo Beverages Canada said it has constructed North America's first soft drink bottle made from 100% recycled PET plastic.   More»

Zero Waste Grocery Stores Becoming a Trend
Imagine a grocery store where not one item is pre-packaged. Cardboard boxes? Gone. Plastic bags? Nonexistent.   More»

Postal Service Reduces Waste to Landfills
The U.S. Postal Service reduced its waste to landfills and recycled 222,000 tons of material last year, according to its just-released 2010 annual sustainability  More»

Cans for Causes Helps Charities, Earns Nickels
Nathaniel Steele is a freshly minted Ivy League grad, smart, eager and flush with entrepreneurial fever. He´s got an idea that he figures will make him a fortune, help fund the country´s charities and save the environment -- all at the same time.   More»

Exhibit to Raise Awareness of Plastics in Ocean
San Francisco’s Aquarium of the Bay has opened a new exhibit to address plastic waste in the Earth's oceans.   More»

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Calendar

The NMRC board meets 5 times a year and members are always welcome to attend the meetings. We welcome your input and are always looking for new board members for our September election. We have also started offering a call-in option to board meetings. If you wish to attend any of the meetings, please RSVP ahead of time to english@recyclenewmexico.com.

• September 14, 9 AM - 1 PM: NMRC Board Meeting, Moriarty.

• November 3-4, 11:30 AM start on the 3rd, ending 1 PM on the 4th: NMRC Board Retreat, Sevilleta.

All these meetings are posted online at www.recyclenewmexico.com/calendar.htm

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2011 Recycling and Composting Facility Operator Certification

Recycling Facility Operators Certification Courses

*December 6-8, Santa Fe register   Held at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center with a tour of the Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station

Compost Facility Operators Certification Courses

*October 4-6, Albuquerque register  

Held at the Fire Academy with a tour of Soilutions & the Soil Amendment Facility.

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If you have questions about any of the above information or have articles for future Recycling Scraps, please e-mail or call

English Bird, Executive Director

New Mexico Recycling Coalition

PO Box 24364, Santa Fe, NM 87502

english@recyclenewmexico.com

(505) 983-4470