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NMSU Wins Third Place in National RecycleMania Contest

NMSU's Main Campus has placed third in the "Grand Champion" category of RecycleMania. RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Throughout the 10-week long competition, NMSU ranked anywhere from fifth to first within the division. Congratulations to program director Art Lucero and NMSU!!

Eastern New Mexico University also competed in the Benchmark division of RecycleMania.

To learn more about the contest, please visit the RecycleMania website at www.recyclemania.com. For further background on the categories, divisions and how they are calculated, consult the Rules section of the website at: http://www.recyclemaniacs.org/rules.htm.

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Scraps Newsletter Sponsored by Dex

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Garbage Gold
Albuquerque Journal, May 2, 2009. By Amanda Schoenberg

Starting a compost pile in the backyard requires little more than redirecting kitchen scraps and yard waste. Just ask Greg Baker, an environmental scientist and compost specialist for the New Mexico Environmental Department. He has been composting for at least 35 years and jokes that he has the best tomatoes on his block to prove it. "I've been called the compost guru," he admits, laughing.

Composting is the process of allowing organic matter to decompose into soil. To begin the process, Baker uses straw bales to surround his two piles of organic matter on three sides. He uses two piles so he can start one while working the other into his garden. Other options are wood frames with screens on all sides, shipping pallets or plastic bins. All methods should have holes on the sides to allow oxygen into the pile but should be covered to keep the pile warm and moist.

Just add water
One of the biggest mistakes New Mexicans make is not keeping the pile moist, Baker says. Compost should be the consistency of a wrung-out sponge, according to the city of Albuquerque's guide to backyard composting. The pile should be watered as needed and at least every time it is turned, about every two to three weeks. "The biggest problem is letting it dry out," Baker says. "You've got to keep it moist." According to Baker, when starting a new pile, mix 6-inch layers of food scraps, leaves and yard clippings, watering well between each new layer. The pile should be wet all the way through, not just on the top. When adding to the pile, most organic materials that will decompose are fair game. Toss in tea bags, coffee filters, paper towels and vegetable peels but not meat, fat, oils, dairy or wood ash.

Jim Brooks, owner of Soilutions, a green waste recycler and compost manufacturer in the South Valley, often works with Baker to explain composting to the public. He frequently promotes what he calls the "dump and run" method — gathering scraps like the morning's grapefruit or last night's strawberries and tossing them on top of the compost pile as quickly as possible before they start to lose moisture. That way less water is required to keep the pile moist. Unfinished cups of tea or coffee or dishwater all go into his compost bin, Brooks says.

The worms crawl in
The composting process is like a Pac-Man game — bacteria gobble up carbon for energy and grab nitrogen to build cell bodies, Brooks explains. Fungi, protozoa and bugs also join bacteria in breaking down decaying material. A compost bin with only carbon-based products (like dry leaves or wood chips) or nitrogen-rich items (like kitchen scraps) will take longer to turn into compost. A compost pile should be turned frequently to ensure the breakdown of organic ingredients. Baker is also a fan of vermicomposting — adding red worms to the pile speeds up the process, he says. The worms keep the pile aerated, and it needs less turning. A few worms can be a long-lasting investment. "I've had my worms 20 years, and I just started with one coffee can," Baker says. If it has been kept moist and turned often, compost can be ready in a few weeks. Dark-brown compost called humus often settles to the bottom of the pile and should smell "like the forest floor," Baker says. When it is finished, compost can be used as a soil conditioner or added to potting soil. Composting has grown in popularity due to a variety of factors, including the rising cost of solid waste disposal and the growth of the organic movement, Baker says.

Reducing waste
At the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority's soil amendment facility on the West Side, superintendent Joe Bailey sells about 2.4 million pounds of compost every month to various users — from golf courses and vineyards to public schools and backyard gardeners. To create the compost, green waste is mixed with treated wastewater and bedding material from horse stalls at Expo New Mexico, which includes manure, sawdust and straw. After four to six weeks of frequent turning, the high-quality compost is ready. "When you sprinkle it on grass, it gets a dark, dark green color," Bailey says.

At Soilutions, Brooks says he has sold more of his organic compost for residential use and also has recycled more organic waste from local businesses in the past year. But the U.S. still may have a way to go. Baker points out that on a recent trip to Switzerland, he saw compost bins used everywhere — in the middle of apartment complexes and in small containers in many kitchens. There, a roll of garbage bags costs $40, he says. Baker suggests that if we paid as much here, we might be more inclined to start composting. Advocates say less waste in landfills is one good reason to start composting. In Albuquerque, about 20 percent of what ends up in the landfill is yard waste, according to the city's Web site. Compost also keeps soil moist and increases permeability, which helps reduce runoff and erosion, Brooks says. "A person can reduce the waste that goes to landfills," says Brooks. "Then there's a carrot at the end of the stick — at the end of doing this good thing, you get good compost. It makes vegetables grow better and it conserves water. You have the ability to improve your soil over time, if you keep on using that compost."

Local resources
To get started with composting, the New Mexico Environment Department has information and brochures to download. Go to www.nmenv.state.nm.us, then visit the Solid Waste Bureau page, listed under programs. Composting and Mulch is one of the headings on the left. Call the Environment Department at 827-0197 for free brochures, presentations or workshops. Albuquerque's Solid Waste Department also offers free brochures at its office at 4600 Edith NE or visit cabq.gov/solidwaste. For people who just want to get rid of yard waste, Soilutions recycles green waste into compost and mulch at 9008 Bates SE. Dropping off a cubic yard of green waste, sod or dirt costs $5. One cubic-foot bag of compost costs $5.95. Call 877-0220 or see soilutions.net for more information. The city also will pick up residential green waste next Monday through Friday and May 11-15, on regular trash days. Put leaves, grass and brush in trash bags that weigh less than 40 pounds. Branches should be bundled and cut to less than 4 feet long. The city won't pick up dirt, construction debris, gravel or landscape materials. At other times of year, residents can bring yard waste to the city's three convenience centers. For information, see cabq.gov/solidwaste.

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NRC board makes move toward KAB partnership

Resource Recycling, May 7, 2009

The National Recycling Coalition's Board of Directors announced today that it will pursue a formal relationship with Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

The decision follows the coalition's announcement made yesterday that it's canceling this year's Congress and Expo, in addition to previously-reported financial troubles the organization finds itself in. Other options considered included downsizing, partnership with other, unnamed organizations and closing operations. NRC staff are presently drafting a proposal to distribute to members and member organizations for discussion and voting.

A schedule for the proposed marriage was not released, though Ed Skernolis, the coalition's acting executive director since last July, said, "We have a rough timeline — nothing cast in concrete — that can be summarized as 'quickly, but prudently,'" perhaps looking to have a proposal ready for membership to consider in around a month.

Skernolis said that feedback was immediate, with many characterized as "passionate," and many falling into the "supportive" camp. "We have a passionate membership, and there's a lot of history to this organization," noted Skernolis. "People are going to have a lot of questions, such as 'what does the organization going to look like? How is it going to be governed? What happens to memberships? What's the budget?'"

"We want people to be patient," says Skernolis. "Give us a chance to present a comprehensive proposal that lays out all the things that we think are going to be of interest to our membership. Members, of course, are going to be able to give us feedback on the proposal. It's an engagement process, nothing has been decided, nothing can go forward, nor do we want anything to go forward without giving the members the opportunity to vote and, officially or unofficially, speak their mind."