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RECYCLING FACTS

 Find out where you can recycle in your community.
     
 

Recycling Scraps
February 16, 2009

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NMRC Annual Workshop and Rural Recycling Training - June 3

Call for Exhibitors and Sponsors

NMRC would like to invite businesses and organizations to sponsor and/or exhibit at the 2009 Annual Membership Meeting and Rural Recycling Training, scheduled for June 3 at the University of New Mexico Rotunda in Albuquerque. 

 

For more information about sponsor or exhibiting at the workshop, please visit http://www.recyclenewmexico.com/ruralworkshop_reg_09.htm

 

Register Today!

This year's workshop is co-hosted by NMRC and NM Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau.  The focus is "Rural Recycling - The State of New Mexico."  The event will provide general hot-topic recycling sessions, and will also include focused training for rural communities. Participation is free to communities with populations of 10,000 or less and $30 for NMRC members ($40 for Non-members) from larger communities. 

 

For more information about the workshop and to register as an attendee, please visit http://www.recyclenewmexico.com/ruralworkshop09.htm

 

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33% TEAM:Working together
to increase
NM's recycling rate. Join the 33% Team Today!
WHERE
CAN I RECYCLE?

 

 

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Recycling & Compost Certification Courses - Register Today

Recycling Certification Courses

May 12-14, Ruidoso

December 8-10, Albuquerque

 

Composting Certification Courses

April 21-23, Ruidoso

October 20-22, Santa Fe

 

For registration information, please visit www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes.htm

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Recycling and Illegal Dumping Grant Applications Due April 3

The 2009 Recycling and Illegal Dumping (RAID) grant applications are now available.  The initial round of applications for RAID tire grants are due February 20, 2009.  The non-tire RAID applications, which focus on recycling and illegal dumping projects are due April 3, 2009.   Information, instructions, and applications for both tire and non-tire grant programs is a located on the NMED: Solid Waste Bureau website at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/SWB/GrantandLoanPrograms.htm.

Below are examples of the types of projects that would be considered eligible for funding:

 

Illegal Dumping

  • Eliminate or reduce in amount, degree or intensity illegal dumping sites

  • Research, innovate and/or prevention programs, education, and community clean up days

  • Activities that would help track illegal dumpsites

  • Development or expansion of services of small collection centers that will facilitate the proper disposal of material as an alternative to illegal dumping

  • Development of an action plan to address any of the above

Recycling

  • Activities that will increase access to recycling

  • Research and development for recycling programs, education, infrastructure and other capital equipment for recycling, recycling processing equipment, field trials and/or market development activities

  • Activities that will expand an existing program or services

  • Development of an action plan to address any of the above

As part of NMRC's rural technical support grant from the USDA Rural Utilities Service, NMRC is able to recommend equipment needed to start or expand recycling and assist rural communities (< 10,000 residents) with a grant proposal.  If you'd like this sort of assistance from NMRC, please contact Sarah Pierpont at sarah@recyclenewmexico.com. 

 

Additionally, there is approximately $224,000 in RAID funds available for TIRE GRANTS for the January - June 2009 grant cycle.  For information about Tire Recycling Grants, please contact Toni Duggan at the NM Environment Department at (505) 827-0559 or toni.duggan@state.nm.us  

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Recycling Bills in the 2009 Legislative Session

2009 has been an incredibly and unexpectedly active year for recycling in the legislature. You can keep up to date on the following bills by visiting our web page at www.recyclenewmexico.com/bills.htm or more detailed information on any of these bills please go to the NM Legislative Web Site at http://legis.state.nm.us/lcs/default.asp. 

Bills NMRC is Supporting

 

Recycling Development Act HM 548

This bill, sponsored by Representative Jeff Steinborn, uses a solid waste tip fee as a funding mechanism to support a large-scale recycling grant program, recycling technical assistance, end-market development, a recycling rebate program and a statewide public education campaign.

 

Committee Results:

House Business & Industry - not scheduled yet

House Tax & Rev

 

State Agency Recycling Annual Reporting SB2

This bill, sponsored by Senator Michael Sanchez, reinforces the requirement that state agencies and the legislature have recycling programs in place, adds materials to be recycled and shifts the reporting requirement to the General Services Division.

 

Committee Results:

Senate Conservation - 2/3/09 Passed

Senate Judiciary - not scheduled yet

 

Study Rubberized Asphalt HM6

This bill, sponsored by Representative Patricia Lundstrom and co-sponsored by Representative Jeff Steinborn, requests the New Mexico Department of Transportation to convene a task force to evaluate the short and long-term costs and savings to use rubberized asphalt on state roads, as well as calculate environmental benefits.

 

Committee Results:

House Transportation - not scheduled yet

 

County and Municipal Recycling Programs (formerly Beverage Container Recycling Act) SB1

This bill, sponsored by Senator Michael Sanchez, was initially crafted as a bottle bill with a $.10 deposit on most beverage containers. Before the first committee hearing, a substitute bill was submitted in its place. This new substitute bill requires all counties and cities to have recycling in place by December 31, 2009, registering with the environmental improvement board. The bill includes grant funds for recycling, diverting 50% of the Litter Control & Beautification Funds (New Mexico Clean & Beautiful, Tourism Department) to the New Mexico Environment Department. 

 

Committee Results:

Senate Conservation - 2/3/09 Passed

Senate Judiciary - not scheduled yet

 

Green Jobs Bonding Act HB622

This bill, sponsored by Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, creates a fund allocated to creating new green jobs training programs. Recycled-content manufacturing, recycling, composting and construction and demolition re-use projects are identified as green job industries.

 

Committee Results:

House Business and Industry - not scheduled yet

House Tax & Revenue

 

Severance Tax Investment in Green Industries SB420

This bill, sponsored by Senator Eric Griego, allocates a portion of the state severance tax fund to be used to invest in green industry development. Recycled-content manufacturing, recycling, composting and construction and demolition re-use projects are identified as green job industries.

 

Committee Results:

Senate Conservation - not scheduled yet

Senate Finance

 

Other Recycling or Solid Waste Bills That We Are Watching

SB491: Increase Solid Waste Permit Fees more

HB281: South Valley Bicycle Recycling Program more

2)     HB 402: Albuquerque Community Bicycle Program more

3)     HB337: Water and Sanitation District Revenue and Info. more

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Recycling Commodity Prices for February

There were little changes on the markets for the month of February. Price for OCC went up $5 per ST, but price for ONP went down $5-10 per ST. Sorted Office Paper remained the same. Price level for high grades is up and down depending on the material: SWL no change, DLK +$10 per ST and Hard White went down $30 per ST as a result of lower prices for virgin materials.

 

The price level for recyclable plastic has started to improve but there is still little profit out of it.

Local recycling centers continue to accept most materials. There is still no payment for mixed paper, low amounts of most plastics, and in some cases Newspaper. In some specific cases material is being rejected due to a lack of market or the high cost of sorting and baling.

 

Local recycling centers are still accepting most materials but they have stopped paying for mixed paper and low amounts of most plastics. In some specific cases material is being rejected. There is a possibility that they will have to charge some of their customers to make up for the cost to process plastics that require further sorting and baling. 

 

Cardboard…………......................$5-$40/ton

Newspaper……………………….….$5-$30/ton

Sorted Office Paper……..............$30-$70/ton

Mixed paper………………………….No payment, not accepting hard cover books

Shrink wrap………………………….$0.01-$0.035/lb

PET bottles (#1)…………………….. $0.005/lb, not accepting them at this time

Milk Jugs, natural HDPE (#2)………$0.03-$0.10/lb

Single color HDPE…………………..$0.01-$0.05/lb

Aluminum Cans………………………$0.30-$0.36/lb price changing on a daily basis

Clean Stainless Steel……………….$0.15/lb

 

*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.wastenews.com/secondaryfiber/

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

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Electronics Recycler Registration Requirements in NM

because of your present/potential interest in and/or involvement with recycling of electronic scrap (e-scrap), the New Mexico Environment Department’s Solid Waste Bureau (SWB) directs your attention to the new written guidance (effective February 13, 2009) on registration for e-scrap recyclers.  Attached is a copy of the guidance, which hopefully clarifies when an e-scrap recycler must register with the Solid Waste Bureau or obtain a permit from the Hazardous Waste Bureau.   Contact information is also provided for your convenience.  In addition to the copy provided with this email, you should visit the SWB website for helpful informational links cited in the guidance:

http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swb/documents/SolidWasteBureauGuidanceforE-ScrapRecyclers.pdf 

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Digital TV Conversion Date Postponed

Congress Changes DTV 'Hard' Date to June 12 Bill also allows households with expired coupons to reapply

After heated debate by legislators last week and a year and a half of broadcasters, cable operators and the government drilling the Feb. 17 'hard' date into the hearts and minds of viewers, the House voted Wednesday to change the cut-off date for analog TV to June 12.  

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Las Cruces Recycling Update

January 28, 2009, Steve Klinger, GrassRoots Press

Local officials say recent changes to city recycling programs are the best way to deal with longstanding inefficiencies, and the collapse of recycling markets is stalling expansion plans and making it difficult to meet budgets. On Jan. 15 the city opened its Foothills Landfill, at 4755 E. Foothills, off Lohman Avenue, to yard waste. The city Recycling Center on the west side at 2855 W. Amador Ave. will stop accepting yard waste on Feb. 28. In addition, the city has eliminated a free office paper pickup route for businesses. Instead, businesses can order a six-yard recycling container for $30 a month, with unlimited pickup available.

City Solid Waste Administrator Klaus Kemmer said the office paper service was identified by two consultants as “the most inefficient part of the recycling programs.” The consultants recommended its elimination because the office paper sold only paid for about 25 percent of the cost of operation. Kemmer said the program served approximately 290 accounts and explained in a letter to the Las Cruces Sun-News, “The current downturn in the recycling market required that we eliminate this inefficient program.”

He added that the new dumpster program charge of $30 per month still will not pay “the total cost of recycling the office paper, but it is a much more efficient service than the manual operation that was offered.” At a monthly meeting Jan. 15 of South Central Recycling Partnership (SCRaP), a grassroots group created by the South Central Solid Waste Authority last year to develop and promote a regional recycling program, concerns were expressed that recycling office paper has become more difficult because of the increased effort and expense now required on the part of businesses, but city and SWSCA officials stood by the new approach. The Las Cruces Public Schools, White Sands Missile Range and NASA are among the entities affected.

Bonnie Tafoya, the city’s recycling coordinator, reported that the recycling market for paper was one of those that collapsed in November due to global economic conditions, hurting the city’s ability to recover costs on its recycling operations. She said the price for recycled cardboard is down 80 percent, newspaper is down 90 percent and office paper down 65 percent. In addition, metal markets have lost 85 percent and plastic bottles are down to two cents per pound. SCSWA Director Patrick Peck said the demand for recycled fiber has dried up, resulting in stockpiling of recyclables. “If there is no market movement, there will be more stockpiling, depressing prices further,” he said.

After some discussion at the SCRaP meeting about suspending recycling until markets rebound and telling resident to use landfills instead, participants agreed that having changed the area’s culture to one of supporting recycling it would be counterproductive to reverse course and send materials to the landfill.

“The message is, we need to continue the programs in existence and pull up our boots,” Peck said.

At the same time, several members agreed there’s a need for new local businesses that would process recyclables such as glass and cardboard until – and even after – more distant markets recover. In shifting yard waste recycling to its east side location, the city also cites consulting studies that show most of the recyclable waste is coming from that side of town. Peck said all the composting is done at the Foothills Landfill, so 50-100 loads per month of chipped wood has been transported from west to east on trucks that thus burn unnecessary diesel and incur added labor costs. When asked about homeowners and farmers on the more heavily wooded west side of Las Cruces, he insisted the bulk of yard waste is generated from the east side and conceded, “We’re going to put out a few people.”

Kemmer wrote in an e-mail, “We are also running out of space at the West Amador site, if you go there on some Saturdays cars are lined up and waiting to drop their yard waste. I have no space to expand and in fact need to eliminate the footprint of the yard waste recycling in order to make room for an expanded Regional Recycling Program in the future. At the Foothills site I have room for expansion and I will be adjacent to the composting operation.”

At a meeting of the Progressive Voter Alliance on Jan. 22, residents Toni and Al McBrayer, who are members of SCRaP, said a single-stream curbside recycling program in Las Cruces was on the drawing board and would have been implemented this month if not for the collapse of the recycling markets in November. City and SCSWA officials were more cautious in describing “a sustainable recycling program” that had to be put on hold.

Peck said at the SCRaP meeting that farmers and residents can use the county landfill or transfer stations to dispose of their organic waste, as an alternative to recycling at the Foothills facility. But it won’t be free at all sites: The West Amador transfer station charges by weight, while county transfer stations in Hill, Butterfield, Hatch and the southern part of the county do not collect fees. For more information on SCSWA and solid waste disposal call the director’s office at 575 528-3800, or for hours and guidelines on the transfer station call 575 528-3591. The city’s recycling department number is 575 528-3589.

Steve Klinger is editor of Grassroots Press. He can be reached at grasrootspress@gmail.com

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EPA Office of Solid Waste Changes Name

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Solid Waste (OSW) has been reorganized and has changed its name to the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR).  The name change reflects the breadth of the responsibilities/authorities that Congress provided to EPA under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the primary authorizing statute. The ORCR has three divisions, which consolidate the operations of the six divisions under the old OSW structure. This reorganization will create a more efficient structure, consistent with current program priorities and resource levels, and will enable EPA to better serve the needs of the public and key stakeholders over the next 5-10 years.  EPA has increased its focus on resource conservation and materials management; it is expected that focus on this important aspect of the RCRA program will continue while maintaining a strong waste management regulatory and implementation program.

 

The reorganization consolidates complementary functions in order to achieve efficiencies in operations.  This reorganization:consolidates the four major areas of the Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC) under one division; combines data collection and data analysis activities thus streamlining operations to better coordinate EPA’s efforts to analyze and present the benefits of its program; and consolidates waste-to-energy activities in one division and branch.

 

The three divisions in the new organization are: the Materials Recovery and Waste Management Division; the Resource Conservation and Sustainability Division; and, the Program Implementation and Information

Division. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/basicinfo.htm

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Silver City Makes 33% by 2012 Commitment

Last November, the City of Silver City made a commitment to increasing recycling in their city. The resolution notes that Silver City is currently at a 7% recycling rate, would like to reach 11% which is the state average immediately and then set the goal of 33% by 2012.

For more information about the NMRC campaign to reach 33% by 2012, click here.

Click here to see the Silver City Resolution.

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Santa Fe Passes Modified PAYT Structure and Reduces Commercial Recycling Fees

From the February 12th Santa Fe New Mexican: More businesses are expected to use the city's commercial recycling service following Wednesday's City Council approval of a new fee schedule. Councilors unanimously adopted plans to slice commercial recycling rates by half along with other changes to Solid Waste Division fees. Few businesses have used the recycling pickup program because of the cost, but more have indicated they will participate if the city lowers fees. "I look forward to the big jump in commercial recycling that we are going to see now," Mayor David Coss said after the vote.

Among other changes: Residents who generate more trash than fits in their roll-away trash cart will have to buy tags for $1.50 for each additional trash bag they wish to dispose of or pay an additional monthly fee of $8 for an extra cart they can use on a regular basis. The city also will increase fees for commercial customers who rent large disposal containers.

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Mayor Chavez Hopes to Boost Recycling in Albuquerque and Reduce the Waste Entering the City's Landfills

By Dan McKay, Albuquerque Journal, January 26, 2009
          

Mayor Martin Chávez outlined an ambitious plan 18 months ago to boost recycling and stop adding to landfills by 2030. But the city has failed so far to meet its recycling goals. Albuquerque recycled about 3 percent of its trash in the most recent fiscal year — the first since the mayor's announcement. The goal was to reach 8 percent, according to the mayor's original plan. The recycling rate was only 1.5 percent when the city started the program, so there's been progress, just not enough to meet the goals.


In an interview Thursday, Chávez said the administration is assembling a plan to get on track. It could involve changing the garbage-rate structure and either privatizing the city's recycling plant or increasing rates to pay for expanding it. "That can happen this fiscal year," Chávez said. "We will take a very large step forward." The mayor launched the "zero-waste" initiative in June 2007 to help combat global warming. Landfills emit methane — a greenhouse gas — and recycling saves natural resources, cuts pollution and saves energy, proponents say.


One barrier to meeting the initial goals was that the City Council didn't approve money to provide blue recycling bins citywide, the mayoral administration contends. Councilors said the plan wasn't well-thought-out, and they authorized a pilot program instead. Under the program, people put their recyclables in the bins and set them out on their trash day, just like their regular garbage. Providing bins has greatly increased participation in recycling, the administration contends. People must otherwise bundle their recyclables in bags and put them on the curb.


At the beginning of the pilot program, the city was getting 7.6 pounds of recyclables a household each week. A year later, in the pilot area, the city was receiving 12.8 pounds a household weekly, according to the city Solid Waste Management Department. The number of households that participated also went up. "We certainly can't go forward without expanding the pilot program citywide," Chávez said.
       

City Council President Isaac Benton, meanwhile, broached the idea of altering the program before expanding it. The recycling bins are so large, he said, that he doubts people can fill them with recyclables. It might be cheaper to move forward with smaller recycling bins, Benton said. In the next few months, Chávez intends to propose overhauling the city's garbage rates and bin system.


Residents, for example, might get a smaller trash bin but also a recycling bin. Or people could opt to stick with the larger trash bin plus a recycling bin. Their rates would vary depending on what bins they choose to use. Officials call it a "pay-as-you-throw" system because residents with larger trash bins would have to pay more. The city also needs to improve the recycling plant to handle more material. A private company could build one essentially for free and make money finding markets for the recyclable materials, Chávez said. The city could also build one itself.
       

"The council will make that decision — whether they want it for free or a rate increase to pay for it," Chávez said. The 14 or 15 employees who work at the plant now would be transferred to other solid-waste jobs if it's privatized, the mayor said. He vowed that no one would be laid off in that scenario.       Benton questioned whether privatization is the best option. For one thing, the market price for recyclables crashed this fall. "I can't see there being money in it for a private entity," Benton said.

The mayor wants to boost the recycling rate until it approaches 50 percent. The rest of the waste would be turned into energy through gasification technology or other production systems. The hope is to halt the use of garbage landfills by 2030. "It goes to the heart of sustainability as a community," Chávez said. The city is in the middle of a $160,000 study on a waste-management plan that should help clarify the recycling goals and ways to reach them. One area being looked at is how to calculate the recycling rate. The 3 percent rate was calculated by counting how much trash the city government accepted for recycling and comparing it with the amount of waste disposed of. But some private groups recycle material on their own, without ever participating in city programs. For now, however, the so-called "diversion rate" of 3 percent is how the city has been measuring its recycling.

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City of Clovis Starts Recycling Program

Clovis News Journal February 4, 2009

Clovis is giving recycling another go with containers in the Albertsons and Wal-Mart parking lots and a recycling center at the city landfill. The program started in January with 30-yard long containers. Each has compartments for  tin cans, cardboard and plastics, according to city Public Works Director Clint Bunch. The city started a recycling program in 1992 but that pilot program fizzled after six years. Bunch said if the program goes over well, the city could issue recycling bins for homes.

“That’s a possibility in the future,” he said. “We’re just having to see how this goes and get the public educated on the benefits of recycling and then maybe in the future we can be an eco-friendly city.” He said the program will continue indefinitely. Bunch said the city aims to conserve space at the landfill with the program. Establishing a recycling program will qualify the city for federal and state grants for the landfill, Bunch said during a November Public Works Committee meeting. The container at the Albertsons supermarket parking lot is available on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A public works employee will be on site to show residents how to use the containers. The containers in Wal-Mart and the landfill are available daily, Bunch said. When the containers are full the refuse will be sorted and bundled into 800-pound to 1,100-pound bails, according to Bunch. He said the city will sell the refuse to recycling centers. The program comes at no cost to the city, according to Bunch. “We’re using existing employees and existing containers that we already have,” he said.

For more  information about Clovis's recycling plans, contact NMRC Board Member and Clovis resident, Lori Crump at crump5854@msn.com

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NMRC Member Capital Scrap Metals Featured in Albuquerque Journal

Capital Scrap Metals Owners Claim To Be 'Real Recyclers'
By Kate Mcgraw, Albuquerque Journal, January 12, 2009

 SANTA FE - Don't haul that old washer and dryer to the landfill, where you'll have to pay a fee to have them buried. Take them to Capital Scrap Metals and they'll pay you a couple of bucks for the metal — and then the machines will be "crunched" and shipped to a Texas mill to be ground into bits that make new metal. "The thing to remember is, we always pay for anything we take," Capital Scrap metals president Robert Witt, 64, told the Journal. "We may only pay a few dollars, but it beats paying someone else to take it and dump it in a landfill. We're the real recyclers."

Disposing of old metals, from a toaster-oven to fencing rails to old automobiles, is "really easy," Brian Witt, 40, added. There is a semicircular drive in front of the office. "You just drive in. Someone always comes out to you. They'll evaluate what you've brought, and get it unloaded and weigh it. You get your money and drive away." Robert Witt, who founded Capital Scrap Metals 31 years ago, never says the metal items at his 5.5-acre yard are crushed, although that's what eventually happens. Witt always says "crunched."
   

"Do I?" he said with a grin. "Well, I dunno — I guess it just sounds a little friendlier, or something." With the exception of salvaged parts and tires, everything that comes in is crunched sooner or later, to reduce weight and bulk before the scrap metals are shipped to Texas mills for recycling. It doesn't surprise Witt that some people want to snap a picture of the faithful family car before they sell it for scrap. What does amuse him is that some folks want a picture of Old Faithful being "crunched."


"I dunno," he said, shaking his head, azure-blue eyes twinkling. "I guess they want it for a scrapbook or something." It can be entertaining, if you like watching large metals objects being flattened. "We used to give tours to school kids, but the liability got to be too much," Robert Witt said.
   
It isn't just cars and trucks that end up at Capital Scrap Metal. Your old microwave and water heater and computer CPU can come here, too. ("We don't take the monitor," Witt said. "Mostly plastic.") Just about anything metal is accepted — and yes, they had a few instances of "exactly where did this come from?" when copper wire began showing up last year. Now that the price of copper is down, "thieves will steal some other thing," Whitt said philosophically. "A thief is a thief. Thieves steal. That's what they do."
   

Despite an elaborate security system of alarms and cameras that pan every foot of the yards, "we probably lose more to thieves than we ever take in from them," Witt asserted. "You can kind of gauge it by looking at it." That's why he's peeved by a recent state law, that went into effect this month, that requires him to keep any load over 2,000 pounds in a separate pile for a number of days to make sure it isn't stolen. This, out of hundreds of tons of scrap iron brought in every year. "Right now, everybody signs for loads they bring in, and we get IDs. This is just one more regulation to have to comply with," he said with a resigned sigh.


Government uses Capital Scrap Metals, too. Santa Fe County brings its scrap metals in, as does North Central Solid Waste, Rio Arriba County's waste unit. "Stonefridge," the referential art installation of old refrigerators at the city landfill, ended up being crunched here. There's a tit-for-tat on that, though — Santa Fe's found-art artists love Capital Scrap Metal. "We have a lot of artists looking through the piles, droves of 'em," Witt said. "They're always looking for some neat little item they can make something out of. I'll bet half the art in Santa Fe comes out of here." The business itself has been a kind of found-art process, the way Witt tells it.

n 1977, Robert Witt had worked as general manager for Cotton Propane and Butane for 17 years and had begun looking for a business that he could own. "I had an idea for a scrap metal business," he said. "Recycling was just getting started, and I lived on a one-acre property off the east frontage road. I decided to start it on a small scale in our backyard. My wife, Clara, would answer the phone there in the house, and I would go out and do salvage jobs. "We had a real hard time," he recalled. The couple's three sons were 9, 5 and 1, and, some months, the living was thin. "I had a lot of second thoughts about quitting my job, but I had made the commitment so I just kept on going." The problem, he realized, is that the family property was too far out of town. He came into Santa Fe and bought a small lot on Cooks Lane, named for the developer of the industrial area off Siler, Richard Cook. Clara, he said, was "ecstatic" to get the scrap yard out of her backyard, and more importantly, Capital Scrap Metals' fortunes improved immediately. As the business did better, Witt would buy another lot or two, until finally he'd bought the whole end of the Cooks Lane cul-de-sac. Then he bought two lots from Dickie Montoya across the street and after that the business "was kinda landlocked," Witt said. His final tally was 5.5 acres just off Siler Road, a perfect location and just enough room.
   

By the time he'd established his little fiefdom, Witt's sons were almost grown. Brian had worked at the business in high school and, after New Mexico State University, came back to work for his dad. Duane, now 36, and Steven, now 32, also came back to the family business after trying other jobs. A few years back, the Witts, father and three sons, incorporated the business, all of them shareholders. "The secret to getting along so well is that we all have our so-called title and we all have our own turf," according to Witt. Robert runs the Santa Fe office and administers the business side. Brian is in charge of the automotive section. Duane handles all the towing — Capital Scrap Metal will come to you if you're selling a vehicle or have a large load of metal. Steven runs the Las Vegas yard, a business they acquired a few years ago.


"We still have board meetings and we decided things together," Witt said "And none of our wives works in the business. All three of my boys are very good with the public. They know how to make you feel comfortable. Respected." All in all, Witt believes that he made the right decision when he got into the scrap metal/recycling business. He plans to accept plastics and paper as soon as he and his sons can find a recycling market. They already accept cardboard — "those big pieces nobody can figure out what to do with" — but they won't pay for it until they can find a market. They do accept old carpet padding, which is baled and sold to recyclers in California and Mexico. "You'd just be amazed at the thousands of tons of stuff we've kept out of the landfills and recycled in the past 31 years," he said.

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Albuquerque Makes Glass Recycling Agreement

Albuquerque Journal, February 11, 2009

City Hall has stockpiled glass for years because it's been unable to recycle it on a large scale. That's about to change. Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez and executives of Growstone LLC, a local company, announced an agreement Tuesday to start turning the city's discarded bottles and jars into a soil amendment. The city accepts glass at drop-off centers around town. But after collecting the glass, the city has been unable to find a market for it. Growstone is setting up equipment at the West Side landfill, where it will crunch and burn the glass into pumice-type rocks. The pebbles retain moisture well, and the company will sell them to agricultural groups or others as a "soil amendment."

 

"It's marvelous technology," Chávez said. Growstone is expected to pay the city about $20 a ton. The initiative is part of the mayor's goal to stop adding to landfills by 2030 through increased recycling and other efforts.

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State Enforces Proper Disposal of Scrap Tires

Albuquerque Journal, Gerald Garner Jr.

The New Mexico Environment Department wants to make sure that scrap tires are disposed of properly. The agency this month will begin inspecting tire dealerships, automobile dealers and motor vehicle fleets to make sure they comply with state requirements for tracking, disposing of and recycling scrap tires.    Environment Secretary Ron Curry says tire dumps and stockpiles pose serious environmental risks, including the potential for fires. State rules require loads of 10 or more scrap tires to have a manifest approved by the agency that tracks a tire from its point of origin to its final destination. The rules also require that for-hire scrap tire haulers be registered with the state.

SOCORRO — State Environment Department officials are burning rubber in an effort to curb the improper disposal of scrap tires in New Mexico. Their rounds — which began last month — include tire-generating facilities such as tire dealerships, auto dealers and motor vehicle fleets. Their aim is ensuring compliance with state requirements for scrap tire tracking, disposal and recycling. Armed with the 2007 Recycling, Illegal Dumping and Scrap Tire Management Rule — giving state officials traction to enforce compliance from the point of generation all the way to final disposal — random inspections are under way.

"Tire dumps and stockpiles, in addition to sometimes being unsightly, pose serious environmental risks in our state including the potential to cause fires," NMED Secretary Ron Curry said in a news release. "The state's rules on scrap tires provide a mechanism for businesses to ensure the tires are being disposed of properly." Those risks surfaced in Socorro nearly a decade ago. Part of the impetus for passage of the 2007 management rule as the devastating Southwest Tire Processors Inc. blaze of 2000.

 

This incident involved an estimated 1 million scrap tires at a privately owned business that caught fire, burned for days and smoldered for months. The burning tires belched hazardous compounds into the air and potentially into groundwater. When conducting inspections, environment staffers are looking to see that loads of 10 scrap tires or more are accompanied by an Environment Department-approved manifest. The manifest tracks a scrap tire from its point of origin to its final destination. The documents require signatures of all involved parties.

Since 2001, a trio of compliance orders have been handed out. The near $170,000 in fines was doled out to the former Cordova and Sons Tire Recycling Facility in Cuba, the former Southwest Tire Processors Inc., and a third entity. Fires, however, aren't the only possible negative side effect of improper disposal.  Department officials contend that because of a tire's shape, occurrences of rodent and insect infestation — and related Hantavirus and West Nile Virus concerns — are amplified. Detailed information is available online at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swb

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Hilton Hotel Receives Green Zia Award

Journal Staff Report, Albuquerque Journal


The Albuquerque Hilton Hotel has become the first, and so far the only, hotel in the state to receive a New Mexico Green Zia Environmental Excellence Recognition Program Award for its efforts to prevent pollution and implement green initiatives. Started in 1999, the Green Zia Program is based on the idea that businesses can become more efficient and profitable by reducing waste. With an emphasis on an established system with measurable outcomes, any organization considering applying for the Green Zia award must have a solid framework for continuous environmental improvement that is sustainable by the staff. To date, 107 organizations have participated in the Green Zia Program, with a reported savings of at least $5 million.


Michelle Vattano, pollution prevention and Green Zia coordinator, said, "The Hilton is a great example for the hospitality industry and how hotels can cut costs and reduce waste." While undergoing a comprehensive $14 million "greenovation," this year, the Albuquerque Hilton Hotel managed to recycle 70 percent of the waste it produced, including finding innovative ways to recycle carpet, porcelain toilets, sinks and bathtubs. The Hilton has incorporated water and energy saving features like high-efficiency toilets and a more efficient elevator system, a recycling program, and xeriscaping blended with existing turf to achieve water conservation. Studio Southwest was the architect for the project, Klinger Constructors was the general contractor and Landscapers Ground Management was the landscape architect.

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New Member Highlight: Albuquerque Recycling, Incorporated (Formerly ResourceAD)

  

Albuquerque Recycling, Inc. Prepares for TV Recycling

Albuquerque Recycling, Inc. safely handles the disposal of electronic waste in an environmentally-friendly way and is the only e-waste recycler in New Mexico to provide end-of-life certification for TVs and monitors.   Free pick-up service may be scheduled for businesses and individuals with three or more computers to be recycled. Albuquerque Recycling, Inc. will be happy to partner with any New Mexico community to sponsor an

e-waste recycling event.

 

“CRTs from TVs and Monitors pose the greatest environmental hazard of e-waste,” said Gary Estepp, founder of the company, which has been in operation since June 2008. “Albuquerque Recycling is the only company in the Southwest that can guarantee the safe destruction of this environmental hazard, by demanufacturing and processing the CRT tubes, per glass manufacturer’s specifications. This is what sets us apart from our competitors.”

 

“Research shows that there are 4.7 million monitors and eight million televisions that enter the municipal waste stream in the U.S. annually,” said company President, Janet Estepp “An environmentally safe, effective and economical solution is needed to dispose of this electronic waste and scrap.”

 

About Albuquerque Recycling Inc.

Albuquerque Recycling, Inc is a registered and certified recycling facility that uses innovative methods to safely recycle electronic waste. They accept computers, printers, monitors, copiers, fax machines, scanners, phones, cell phones, stereo components and other electronics. They accept TVs and broken tube monitors for a small disposal fee. The fee for 28” and smaller TVs is $5 and $10 for larger TVs or broken tube TVs and monitors. Albuquerque Recycling, Inc is located at 3800 Hawkins St NE, Unit D, Albuquerque, NM 87109. They accept drop offs from 7:30AM to 4pm, Monday through Friday. For more information visit www.AlbuquerqueRecycling.net

 

For further information contact: Janet Estepp at (505) 321-2404 or Greg Mullen at (505) 249-9495 ResourceAd@msn.com

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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.

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Grants and Loans

State Loans

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

 

Recycling and Illegal Dumping Grant Applications Due April 3

The 2009 Recycling and Illegal Dumping (RAID) grant applications are now available.  The initial round of applications for RAID tire grants are due February 20, 2009.  The non-tire RAID applications, which focus on recycling and illegal dumping projects are due April 3, 2009.   Information, instructions, and applications for both tire and non-tire grant programs is a located on the SWB website at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/SWB/GrantandLoanPrograms.htm.

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Regional Round-Up

 

Submit your community's news by emailing english@recyclenewmexico.com . We love to hear about news from around the state!

 

Espanola Starts Curbside Recycling Pilot

The North Central Solid Waste Authority launched a 200 household curbside recycling service in December, with the expectation that all households will have curbside by the end of the year. Collection is weekly, on the same day as trash pick-up. Residents who sign up for the pilot will receive a 17-gallon blue-bin container at no cost. Recyclables will be collected commingled and include cardboard, mixed paper, plastic bottles #1 & #2, aluminum and metal food cans. For more information contact 505-747-8459.

 

New Mexico Loans $500,000 for Taos County Recycling

The state is loaning $500,000 to Taos County to work on recycling and centralize solid waste department operations. Environment Department Secretary Ron Curry approved the agreement, which will allow the county to build an operations and recycling facility adjacent to the Taos Regional Airport. Curry says that will allow the county to recycle waste at the facility to help decrease the amount of solid waste put in landfills. The agreement calls for a loan at 3 percent interest over 20 years. The county has three years to finish the project. The director of solid waste for the county, Uvaldo Olonia, says the county is committed to cleaning up illegal dumping and expanding recycling.

 

Los Lunas Hosts E-Cycling Event

On January 17th, Albuquerque Recycling worked with Los Lunas to collect over 13 tons of computers, TVs, stereos, monitors, printers and other electronics.

Gallup E-Cycling Event 

ResourceAd, in conjunction with the McKinley County Recycling Coalition, sponsored an e-waste recycling event January 10th. The event collected nearly 28 tons of e-waste on four truckloads. 

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Recycling Tidbits

 

ISRI Launches Anti-Theft Web Site
 The Washington-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has launched a Web site, www.scraptheftalert.com, that allows recyclers and local law enforcement to work together to combat materials theft. According to ISRI, the new Web site is easier to use and much faster than the previous fax-based system.

 

Best Buy Expands Electronics Recycling Program

Best Buy Co., Inc. will bring its electronics recycling program Feb. 15, 2009 to all of its 1,006 stores nationwide. The program is the latest addition to the comprehensive programs offered by Best Buy to help consumers find easy ways to recycle, reuse, or trade in products at the end of their life. 

 

Starting Feb. 15, consumers can bring up to two (2) units per day, per household, for recycling at any U.S. Best Buy store. Best Buy will accept most consumer electronics, including televisions and monitors up to 32, computer CPUs and notebooks, small electronics, VCR and DVD players, and phones, as well as accessories such as keyboards, mice, and remotes. A $10 recycling fee per unit will be charged for items with screens, such as televisions, laptop computers, and monitors. The consumer will instantly receive a $10 Best Buy gift card in exchange for the recycling fee. (This fee does not apply for units recycled in California stores, and does not apply for any of Best Buys Exclusive-Branded products, such as Insignia, Dynex, and VPR Matrix.)

 

For more information, check out

www.bestbuyinc.com/news_center/01-27-09/best-buy-electronics-recycling-program-launches-feb-15-all-us-stores

 

Mexico Plans 85% Diversion

The largest city in the Western Hemisphere, Mexico City, will divert 85 percent of its 12,500-tons-per-day waste stream from landfill, in part by building four state-of-the-art Material Recovery Facilities over the next four years.


 

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Calendar

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Recycling and Composting Facility Operator Certification Class Schedule for 2009

 

Recycling Certification Courses

May 12-14, Ruidoso

December 8-10, Albuquerque

 

Composting Certification Courses

April 21-23, Ruidoso

October 20-22, Santa Fe

 

To register, please go to www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes.htm

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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 me.

English Bird, Executive Director

New Mexico Recycling Coalition

PO Box 24364, Santa Fe, NM 87502

english@recyclenewmexico.com

(505) 983-4470 

   

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