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The report can be downloaded at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swb/AnnualReportsandForms.htm
Recycling Rates in New Mexico - A Historical Perspective
*** Prior to 2006, New Mexico reporting standards were not aligned with EPA reporting standards. Method of measurement differed.
.................................................................................... Recycling and Composting Certification Courses - Register Now! Register now for the upcoming Recycling and Compost certification courses. 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.
Composting Facility Operator Certification Course October 20-22, Santa Fe. This class is almost full, so register today!
Recycling Facility Operator Certification Course December 8-10, Albuquerque To register, please go to www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes.htm .................................................................................... On September 16, NMRC in conjunction with the New Mexico Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau and the New Mexico Tourism Department/New Mexico Clean & Beautiful program brought together approximately 70 stakeholders to talk about the future of recycling policy.
The group heard from the 3 recycling advocacy groups in the state in regard to their mission, funding and program work. A review of recycling initiative highlights in the past 20 years was provided as well. Break-out groups were asked to review the two big recycling bills (HB548 and SB1) from the 2009 session and provide feedback to the group as far as what they saw as the best solution for all interested parties to change the landscape of recycling in New Mexico.
To see the input provided and the presentations, please click here for the document.
.................................................................................... NM Recycling Awareness Month - Register Now to Enroll
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/ARD and also receive give-aways and other recycling information to support your event. Please register by October 1 at the America Recycles Day website at www.americarecyclesday.org. NMRC will not be registering participants for ARD directly this year. Once you register online at the ARD webpage, you will receive deliverables directly from them. They will in turn pass your information on to us, and you will receive materials from us as well. What You Can Do For NMRAM 2009:
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.
more
Giveaways and Resources Available: The America Recycles Day campaign will be offering banners, recycled-content pencils and posters. NMRC will also be providing recycled-content and informational give-aways supplied by Dex and recycling trade organizations (EPA, AF&PA, Can Manufacturing Institute) as another way to engage the public. Educational and PowerPoint presentation materials are available for teachers and community outreach activities as well. Online Pledge to Recycle: You can direct people to take the pledge to recycle at any time to www.americarecyclesday.org Other Resources: For more event, school, or community ideas, check out www.recyclenewmexico.com/NMRAM_2009.htm and www.americarecyclesday.org Thank you to our NMRAM Sponsors: New Mexico Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau, Dex, Intel Corporation, Waste Management, PNM Resources, City of Farmington, Navajo Nation, Livingry Fund of Tides Foundation, Dugan Production Corporation, Wal-Mart, NM Public Education Department Register to participate at www.americarecyclesday.org by October 1, 2009.
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Free
Workshop on Environmental Management for the Hospitality
Industry September 30
A training workshop targeted
at the hospitality industry will be hosted by the New Mexico
Environment Department's Pollution Prevention Office and NM
State University's Institute for Energy & the Environment
on September 30th from 1-5 PM.
You're invited to a free
training on the benefits of environmental management systems
(EMS's) and how to realize cost-savings through better
environmental management. Learn how you can join other
hotels, casinos, resorts and restaurants already doing it.
This workshop is intended for facilities and operations
managers, food and housekeeping managers and environmental
health & safety managers.
Presenters from NMSU, NMED,
University of Texas, Soilutions and NMRC will lead
discussions on saving money and still providing a great
service and how to reduce energy & disposal costs.
When: Wednesday,
September 30, 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Where:
How: RSVP to Chris Campbell at crhiscam@nmsu.edu or 505-843-4251 by Sept. 24
.................................................................................... Rio Rancho's Pharmaceutical Take Back Program First in State Thanks to the collaborative efforts of various agencies, Rio Rancho’s first pharmaceutical take back event was held in Rio Rancho at the Santa Ana Star Center parking lot on June 20th. The take back event was coordinated between the City of Rio Rancho Environmental Programs Department, Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful, the NM Environment Department, the US Drug Enforcement Agency, the NM Regulation and Licensing Department/Board of Pharmacy, the Aging and Long Term Services Department and the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety. It was conducted in conjunction with Rio Rancho’s periodic Household Hazardous Waste collection, as programs in other states suggested that a larger participation from the public would be seen if the events were coupled together. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) started doing studies related to pharmaceutical residues in our rivers and drinking water back in 1999. During the first study, headed by Dana Kolpin, 139 streams in 30 states were tested and pharmaceutical residues were found in all streams tested. A copy of the report can be accessed at http://toxics.usgs.gov/regional/emc.html.
The Associated Press did a nationwide story and review of this information in March 2008. They reviewed drinking water systems in 24 major metropolitan areas as well as water supply systems in all 50 states and found pharmaceuticals and/or byproducts in many different areas. The Rio Rancho Event Newspaper advertisements were placed into the Rio Rancho Observer and the Albuquerque Journal, radio ads were placed on KZRR 94 Rock and KPEK 100.3 the Peak, and traffic signs/announcements were placed around Rio Rancho prior to the event. This was all funded by the Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful program and the City of Rio Rancho Environmental Programs. DEA regulations require that any controlled substances collected be in the possession of a law enforcement officer after retrieval from the public. A law enforcement officer (either from the Rio Rancho DPS or the Board of Pharmacy) approached the citizen’s vehicle and accepted the medicines from the public. Four pharmacists were on hand to identify the materials and determine whether they were controlled substances. A log was kept of all materials collected, both for law enforcement and the Board of Pharmacy’s documentation. Once medicine identification was made, the drugs were either put into a large 55-gallon drum (for non-controlled substances and plastics) or a smaller 5-gallon container (for controlled substances, pills only). Medicines, personal care products and over-the-counter items were collected from a total of 62 vehicles during the 5 hour collection. Many people brought in large amounts of items, having cleaned out their medicine cabinets for the event. One individual brought in a trash bag full of medicines that they said represented 12 years worth of prescriptions. The exact numbers from the collection are as follows: • 1,135 doses of antibiotic • 565 doses of hormones • 2,812 doses of controlled substances • 10,408 doses of other prescriptions • 21,025 doses of over-the-counter items The non-controlled substances and plastics were picked up by Rio Rancho’s contractor, Rinchem, and taken to their facility for incineration. The controlled substances were in the possession of the Rio Rancho DPS, in their evidence locker, and were mixed with concrete (so as to render the pharmaceuticals irrecoverable) and were placed in a landfill. Summary After three years of research, Rio Rancho had the momentum to get its own pharmaceutical take back program started. The history of chemical contamination of the environment shows us that we need to be vigilant about protecting our resources, especially when these compounds could possibly affect human health. These programs also present a solution to the problem of prescription drug abuse. These are complicated programs to get off the ground but many agencies with the same goal, as shown with this project, can work together for the benefit of the environment and the people of New Mexico. This event was extremely well received and successful. We received many thanks and compliments from the public during this event.
Click here to review a full report of the event, background information about prescription collection events: Click here to download report
For more information please contact Barry Conant, Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful, at bconant@ci.rio-rancho.nm.us or 505-896-8389. .................................................................................... EPA Issues Latest iWARM Consumer Calculator of Recycling Benefits
iWARM is the consumer version of WARM – it helps you
understand the energy saved by recycling small
quantities of common household products, rather than
landfilling them. iWARM uses the same energy factors
as WARM to provide the relative energy savings from
recycling rather than landfilling. The energy
savings are translated into the equivalent amount of
electricity, estimating how long that amount of
electricity will operate a variety of household
appliances.
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/iwarm/index.htm
.................................................................................... Farmington NMRAM Partner Campaign Update NMRC, in partnership with Waste Management, the City of Farmington, Farmington citizen volunteers and Keep Farmington Beautiful, have worked together to create a targeted campaign to increase participation in their recently launched curbside recycling program. Deliverables for this campaign include door hangers, posters, a banner, and a school recycling contest campaign.
.................................................................................... State Fair Recycling Display Available Again For the second year running, the NM State Fair will include a recycling information booth amongst a new center called the "Green Expo". Funded by an appropriation earmarked by Rep. Joni Marie Gutierrez D-Las Cruces in the 2008 legislative session, five booths will provide information on green building, energy conservation, food/organics, water conservation and recycling. The initial booth & trailer from 2008 had unfortunately been stolen. But insurance monies were able to replace the exhibit in time for the 2009 State Fair. The Fair runs from September 11 through September 27. The Green Expo is located to the East of the Manual Lujan Exposition Center and near the Old MacDonald Farm. The portable and expandable recycling information booth created for the recent State Fair is available for travel to other community events during the year. Please contact Jill Turner, who works for the Office of the NMED Secretary, at 505-827-1754 or jill.turner@state.nm.us for more information. .................................................................................... Recycle Glass Week Starts September 21 The Glass Packaging Institute kicks off Recycle Glass Week, September 21 – 27, 2009, and they’re gearing up for great nationwide events to celebrate and encourage glass container recycling. Creating more awareness about the environmental benefits of glass container recycling, GPI members hope to help the glass container industry reach a nationwide goal of 50 percent recycled content in the manufacture of new glass bottles and jars by 2013. Using the EPA’s benefits calculator, GPI estimates energy savings from using 50 percent recycled content in all glass packages manufactured in the U.S. could save enough energy to power over 45,000 households for a year. Today, glass is the proven form of packaging for those who are looking for sustainability, purity, and recyclability. Glass is made from all-natural, sustainable raw materials and it can be recycled again and again without loss of quality or purity. Reuse of post-consumer recycled glass containers minimizes consumption of raw materials and lessens the industry’s demand for energy. For more information on upcoming Recycle Glass Week activities and events, please go to www.gpi.org. .................................................................................... Community Highlight: Estancia Valley Solid Waste Authority The Estancia Valley Solid Waste Authority (EVSWA) serves the communities in Torrance County including Moriarty, Estancia, Willard, McIntosh, Mountanair, Duran, Tajique, Cedarvale, Wagonwheel, Punta de Agua, Encino, a portion of Edgewood, and all points in between. The EVSWA is funded by customer quarterly fees for each resident in Torrance County. EVSWA hosts 9 manned transfer stations and a couple areas with 6-yard dumpsters. Recycling opportunities are available at all of the transfer stations (Edgewood, 2 in Moriarty, Estancia, Willard, Tajique, Punta de Agua, Mountainair, Duran).
Collection areas at the Moriarty Transfer Station. Recycled Materials: Motor Oil (includes some kerosene, diesel fuel, hydraulic and transmission fluid), Antifreeze, Lead-Acid Vehicle Batteries, Tires (2 tires per week allowed for county residents, small fee for city residents), Scrap Metals & Appliances (except vehicles), Aluminum Cans, and Branches/Yard Waste (only accepted at the Moriarty station). Motor Oil & Other Fluids: Residents must bring in a 5-gallon bucket or smaller. EVSWA has a 500-gallon tank at the Moriarty station that Mesa Oil collects on an average of twice a month. EVSWA receives a payment for the oil. The antifreeze has a separate 50-gallon drum that Mesa Oil collects as well. At the time of drop-off the transfer station attendants set aside questionable fluids for Mesa to test at pick-up time. Lead-Acid Batteries: EVSWA hauls all batteries to Estancia and then containerizes them. They store the batteries in plastic-lined freezers until pick-up. EVSWA works with a resident who hauls and then sells to NM battery recyclers. That person brings a receipt to confirm that the batteries were properly recycled. Aluminum Cans: EVSWA donates cans to youth groups from the area. The cans are hauled from outlying stations to the receiving station in Moriarty where the youth crush and bag them. A custom-designed aluminum can transport trailer donated by a local welding business may be used to take the cans to market. See Local Partnerships sidebar for more information. Local Partnerships As a benefit to the community, EVSWA solicits applications from local youth groups to benefit from the sale of the aluminum cans. In exchange the youth group, crushes, prepares and then uses the trailer to haul to a metal recycler in Albuquerque. The group gets to keep the earnings. Last month youth groups earned almost $500 from aluminum can recycling!
EVSWA Partnerships:
This case study and others can be found in the New Mexico Rural Resource Recycling Kit, available for download online at www.recyclenewmexico.com/rural_recycling.htm ....................................................................................
Even though generation is still slow and there is a steady demand for OCC, there was no change in Cardboard price. There seems to be a larger demand and not enough supply for other grades of paper. Newspaper and SOP prices went up $5 to $10 depending on presentation, quality, and location. Demand for plastics is slightly up with prices going up a little as well. Aluminum cans price keeps going up slowly but steady, as in the last few months.
* 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/ ..................................................................................... National Recycling Coalition Files for BankruptcyOn September 3rd, the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) Board of Directors has announced that it will expeditiously file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In light of NRC’s financial circumstances, it will cease operations and terminate all staff effective close of business September 4, 2009. This action comes as a result of the NRC membership voting against the merger of Keep America Beautiful with the NRC.
The New Mexico Recycling Coalition has been an affiliate of the NRC for the past decade. The filing of bankruptcy of the national group does not have an affect on the operations of the NMRC, which remains an independently funded nonprofit organization based in the state of New Mexico. America Recycles Day, one of the key programs that NMRC has participated in, will continue under the umbrella of Keep America Beautiful.
“The decision was a very difficult and troubling one, but in the end, as a matter of our fiduciary responsibility, the Board was left with very few options given the organization’s cash position. Our hope – however distant right now – is that a stronger organization, with broad representation, may emerge from within our community,” said Melinda Uerling, NRC Board President. .....................................................................................
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Magnum D'Or Resources Acquires
Huge Tire Landfill in Colorado Rubber recycler Magnum D'Or Resources, Inc. (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) said it has acquired a scrap tire landfill in Hudson, CO, a facility that the company described as one of the largest tire landfills in the world and possibly the largest in the U.S. It is located about 50 miles northeast of Denver, has an inventory of at least 30 million tires, although some state officials reportedly say that there may be three times that number. "We plan on making this site a state-of-the-art facility that should be a model for the rest of the country, if not the world, to demonstrate the ability to recycle waste products into useful and viable products that actually enhance people's lives," said Magnum President and CEO Joseph Glusic. "This is only the tip of the iceberg of things to come. Magnum is positioned to be a world-leader rubber recycler having next-generation rubber recycling solutions for custom compounds, retread compounds, processing aids, advanced state-of-the-art equipment, and reactivated ambient/cryogenic rubber powders for the global market."...Read More » ..................................................................................... Bill Booth, Ditch Witch; John Zarola; Pueblo of Tesuque Environment Department; Nathan Lee and Norman Scott, Navajo Nation; Butch Steinman, Village of Angel Fire; Josh Montano and Kimberly Foree, OSO Biopharmaceuticals; David Friedman, Friedman Recycling; Rodney Mullens, Mesa Verde Enterprises; Beverly Booth McCauley; Charley Carroll, NM Junior College; Joe Capone, All American Waste Removal; Suzanne Michaels; Adrian Marufo, City of Gallup; Roger Allen; Michael Candelaria, Pueblo of Isleta; Melissa Villalobos, Western NM Correctional Facility; Rick Smith, Laguna Pueblo; Mindy Cahill, Village of Cimarron; Maralyn Hillman, Trucks West; Clifford Dowling, Waste Management; Kathy Elmore, Carlsbad Caverns National Park; Scott Seydel; Lorie Gulley, NM Reutilization and Acquisition Model Program; Jeffrey Kaplan, Village of Ruidoso; Stacy Snyder; Lee Carr, Better World Connections; Paul Gutierrez, NM Association of Counties; Terry & Al McBrayer; Randy Smith, Lea County ...................................................................................
State Loans NMED Constructions Programs Bureau offers low-interest loans for solid waste projects: http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/cpb/rip.html .
Keep New Mexico Beautiful Recycling Bin Grants Due October 3 KNMB has small grants available for schools for the purchase of recycling bins. Visit www.knmb.org or call 800-760-5662. The fall grant must be emailed or postmarked by October 3, 2009. ....................................................................................
Las Cruces: SCRAP and the South Central SWA will host an electronics recycling event November 14 from 9-3 at the Dona Ana County Government Center.
McKinley County: Zia Engineering & Environmental Services is preparing a Recycling Plan for McKinley County.
Northwestern NM: NMRC and the Navajo Nation are hosting the Northwest NM Regional Recycling Task Force on October 8th from 9-1 at San Juan College. All interested are welcome. Please RSVP to English at english@recyclenewmexico.com
Submit your community's news by emailing english@recyclenewmexico.com . We love to hear about news from around the state! ...................................................................................
Stickers and Labels Made with PVC
http://www.labelimpressions.com
Aug. 24 -- Seattle voters rejected plans
to charge shoppers 20-cents for each
disposable paper or plastic bag they
received from grocery or retail stores.
City voters, in an Aug. 18 election,
rejected a referendum by 57% to 43%
margin that would have made Seattle the
first city in the nation to tax both
paper and plastic shopping bags. City
Council last year had approved the tax,
but a petition effort forced the measure
to appear before voters. Supporters
hoped the fee would encourage residents
to reuse plastic bags several times or
to purchase heavy-duty plastic bags that
could repeatedly be washed out and
reused, keeping paper and plastic out of
the waste stream and reducing greenhouse
gas emissions.
Starbucks Launches Program to Recycle Used Coffee Cups Sept. 11 -- A new recycling program is being launched at seven Starbuck´s stores in Manhattan to test the collection and recycling of used coffee cups. Global Green USA´s Coalition for Resource Recovery announced the cup project that will be held in conjunction with the recycling of old corrugated containers. Western Michigan University has tested a representative sample of Starbucks´ cups and certified they have "equivalent recyclability and repulpability as old corrugated containers," according to the coalition. "The lessons learned from the cup recycling pilot can be applied to the recycling of hamburger, pizza, and French fry containers, and all sorts of other paper food packaging. If the initial pilot is successful, CoRR will expand the pilot to encompass more packaging types and restaurants," Annie White, coalition director.
Bookstores Promote Magazines That Use Recycled Paper
Sept. 10 -- More than 240
Barnes & Noble stores are
promoting magazines that use
recycled paper this month. A
total of 10 magazines,
including Mother Jones and
Natural Home, are being
promoted on special racks in
some of the company´s
largest stores. The retailer
is working with the Green
America Better Paper Project
and Next Steps Marketing on
the project. "The public
wants to support magazines
that are environmental
leaders -- especially in an
industry where only about 2%
of consumer magazines
regularly use recycled
paper," said Frank Locantore,
director of the Green
America Better Paper Project
that helped organize these
promotion. The Better Paper
Project helps magazines
become more sustainable in
an effort to alleviate
pressures placed on forests
by printing on recycled
paper and using sustainable
production processes.
The Psychology of Motivating People In Regard to Climate Change Two articles, based on psychological research, giving models for motivating people to do the right thing with regards to climate change. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327222.100-how-psychology-can-help-the-planet-stay-cool.html This month, an American Psychological Association (APA) task force released a report highlighting these and other psychological barriers <http://www.apa.org/releases/climate-change.pdf> standing in the way of action. But don't despair. The report also points to strategies that could be used to convince us to play our part. Sourced from psychological experiments, we review tricks that could be deployed by companies or organizations to encourage climate-friendly behavior.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327225.700-triumph-of-the-commons-helping-the-world-to-share.html
Highlights: "Allowing people to document successes in saving energy on their Facebook pages could drive change among their friends..." "People who identify with a group are
.. more concerned about upholding a
green reputation.."
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Recycling and Composting Facility Operator Certification Class Schedule for 2009
Recycling Certification Courses December 8-10, Albuquerque
Composting Certification Courses October 20-22, Santa Fe
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 (505) 983-4470
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