Recycling Scraps
October 28, 2010

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Get Caught Recycling in Las Cruces Campaign Launches

The New Mexico Recycling Coalition is joining forces with the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) to launch a “GET CAUGHT RECYCLING!” campaign in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County on November 13th at the SCSWA's e-waste collection event.  

During this three month, incentives-based campaign SCSWA staff will randomly surprise and reward City of Las Cruces and Dona Ana County residents weekly as they drop off recyclables at any of the City's 17 drop off sites or any of the county's 8 community collection centers. Winners will receive prizes donated from area businesses that range from coffee mugs to the grand prize of a vacation for two to one of ten destinations.

The campaign is supported by both print and radio advertisements that will tout the importance and ease of recycling and run through November, December and January. Additionally, NASA White Sands Testing Facility and NMSU will run their its own complimentary Get Caught Recycling campaign during the month of November.

To hear the radio PSA that will play on Las Cruces' KMVR fm and KOBE am, please click here

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NMRC Announces New Board Members for 2011-2012 Term

The results from the recent NMRC Board Elections have been tallied. Thanks to everyone who threw their hat in the ring and who took the time to vote! Congratulations to the newly elected board members.

The seven board members elected for the 2011-2012 term are as follows:

• Joel Belding, Enchantment Electronic Recycling
• Charles Fiedler, Gordon Environmental
• Tim Gray, New Mexico Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau
• Adrianne Luetjens, Estancia Valley Solid Waste Authority
• Margie Marley, Sandia National Labs
• Suzanne Michaels, Suzanne Michaels Communications
• Tom Nagawiecki, Los Alamos County

 These seats are rounded out with existing board members serving a 2010-2011 term:

• Ramon Acevedo-Cruz, Holloman AFB
• John Acklen, PNM Resources
• Dave Castillo, Sandia National Labs
• Lori Crump, Kirtland AFB
• Walter Dods, Soilutions (NMORO Representative)
• Natalie Howard, City of Albuquerque
• Randall Kippenbrock, Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency
• Joe Lobato, New Mexico Clean and Beautiful
• Patti O'Niell, Waste Management of AZ/NM

Many thanks to outgoing board members for their service to NMRC:

• Jennifer Scacco, Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful (Past President seat)
• O. Paul Gallegos
• James Benally, Navajo Nation Solid Waste Management Program
• Sage Deon, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council

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NMRC Rural Recycling Development Project Update

The New Mexico Recycling Coalition is pleased to announce a grant opportunity to fund three recycling center hubs and spokes in New Mexico. The Rural Recycling Development Program has been designed to increase access to recycling for underserved and rural communities. This project, hosted by NMRC, is part of the Department of Energy (DOE) American Recovery and Stimulus Act under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.

The deadline to apply is November 8, 2010. You can download the application at www.recyclenewmexico.com/rural_recycling.htm.  

Work began on this grant September 1 and we are underway in the development of the recycling center hub design that will be used to construct these new hub recycling centers. Once completed, the design will be made publicly available to communities to use in the development of their recycling processing centers. We are working on developing multi-compartment recycling collection trailers and roll-offs that will work ideally for rural drop-off locations and wish to get a state price agreement in place so that all New Mexico communities can readily procur these.

Another round of grants will be released in the Spring of 2011 and will focus on spoke development - specifically collection trailers and roll-offs to be placed in rural and underserved locations to feed into existing and developing hubs. The R3 Recycled Material Marketing Cooperative is set to launch early 2011. We are currently researching end-markets and developing materials to solicit for co-op members.

Technical assistance in regard to recycling planning, development and outreach is available to all eligible communities. Please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance!

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Free Standardized Labels for Recycling Bins Available

FREE Recycling Bin Signs for Schools, Businesses, Organizations, Households available at www.recycleacrossamerica.org

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FTC Proposed Revised Green Guides

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- Seeks Public Comment on Changes that Would Update Guides and Make Them Easier to Use

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Federal Trade Commission today proposed revisions to the guidance that it gives marketers to help them avoid making misleading environmental claims. The proposed changes are designed to update the Guides and make them easier for companies to understand and use.

The changes to the "Green Guides" include new guidance on marketers' use of product certifications and seals of approval, "renewable energy" claims, "renewable materials" claims, and "carbon offset" claims. The FTC is seeking public comments on the proposed changes until December 10, 2010, after which it will decide which changes to make final.

"In recent years, businesses have increasingly used 'green' marketing to capture consumers' attention and move Americans toward a more environmentally friendly future. But what companies think green claims mean and what consumers really understand are sometimes two different things," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. "The proposed updates to the Green Guides will help businesses better align their product claims with consumer expectations."


For the rest of the story, go to:
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/06/v-print/3084406/federal-trade-commission-proposes.html

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NMRC Board Meeting Dates

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.

November 4-5, Retreat at Sevilleta Research Station, 10 Am to 3 PM

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

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Recycled Folk Art

Steve Meadows from Palestine, Illinois created "Roxie & Momo" from an old wagon frame,found bottlecaps and aluminum cans, salvaged wood & nails, found toys and other "junk." Meadows will be a Vendor at the Nov 12-14 Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival in Santa Fe.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Albuquerque will receive a $500,000 grant to be used on a project designed to reduce greenhouse gases. The agency said that the city is creating a landfill gas-to-energy project that will reduce fuel consumption and help to build a market for recycling and recycled products. The project goes beyond conventional approaches by coupling the landfill technology with green industry and includes an extensive public outreach campaign, according to the news release. Albuquerque is among 25 U.S. communities receiving a total of $10 million in grants to advance greenhouse gas reduction activities as part of the EPA's Climate Showcase Communities initiative.

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With more than 35 events registered on the new America Recycles Day website, there is a great variety of recycling awareness events and drives taking place in November. Many thanks to our sponsors this year of New Mexico Recycling Awareness Month, which helps support events like these around the state with promotional items and activities.

NMRAM Recycling Events:

Farmington: ARD @ Tibbets Middle School, 11/1/2010-11/16/2010, Contest between classes for recycling. Host a "No-Waste Lunch Day . School Assembly with presentation by Waste Management.

Las Vegas: Keep Las Vegas Beautiful Recycle Day, 11/13/2010, Highlands University Recycle Yard, Public convienence recyling drop off. The people of Las Vegas will be  able to drop-off  different recyclable items in a close and convienent location.

Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival: 11/12/2010-11/14/2010, El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 1516 Paseo de Peralta. The 12th Annual Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival takes place November 12-14 at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe.  Check out the best spot to buy green holiday gifts at the art market, enjoy the gallery-style exhibit at the Juried Art Exhibit and don't miss  the Friday night Trash Fashion Content. www.recyclesantafe.org

Las Cruces: E-Recycle Day, 11/13/2010, Dona Ana County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd. E-Waste collection event and launch of Get Caught Recycling campaign. Lead agency is South Central Solid Waste Authority. www.TheScrappyPages.com/

NASA White Sands Testing Facility has several activities planned in November to celebrate NM Recycling Awareness Month. The Pollution Prevention team be out and about during November to reward recyclers. You may “Get Caught Recycling” and win a prize! They will visit each area to gather employee's input and ideas to improve the WSTF recycling program! They will also screen an informative video about how Single Stream Recycling works.

Gap Inc,  Albuquerque: Gap GREEN Days, 11/19/2010, Gap Inc, 40 First Plaza NW. Looking for various resources for lobby/conference center  table presentations on awareness/information regarding reduce/recycle/reuse opportunities.  We have a staff of 400 people that will be circulating through the event.

Tularosa: E-cycling Collection Drive, 10/23/2010-11/6/2010, Tularosa Public Safety Complex, 609 St. Francis Drive. Drop off ecycling will be held on Saturday, October 23 and October 30 at the Tularosa Public Safety Complex. Participants will receive totebags and other prizes. Will also present about recycling to third graders on November 15th. A recycling exhibit and presentation is planned for Nov 13th at the Tularosa Public Library

Grants: Grants High School Artists Recycle, 11/12/2010, Grants High School, 500 Mountain Rd. Students will host a day-long art show showcasing their art work made from  recycled materials. Students will research recycling issues, explore solutions, create individual and group artworks for display.

NM Students PIRG NMSU Chapter,  Las Cruces: Enviro-feet Carbon Footprint Fest, 11/15/2010-11/16/2010. NMSU campus. NMSUwill calculate students' carbon footprints and encourage recycling.

Edgewood: America Recycles, 11/15/2010, Edgewood Municipal Offices, 1911 Historic Route 66. Town wide opportunity to bring in materials to recycle.

Ruidoso Downs: America Recycles Day, 11/15/2010, Nob Hill Early Childhood Learning Center. Grades K-3rd grade. Skit on "No Littering" and best items to recycle. This will be a younger group and we hope to entertain them and make learning fun. We will hand out bags filled with recycling information, coloring pages, and refrigerator check off list.

Rio Rancho: America Recycles Day, 11/6/2010, Wal-Mart, 901 Unser Blvd. We feature a citywide collection of recycable or reusable items. Local organizations and businesses will only accept the following items: Used Childrens Books,  Eye Glasses/Hearing Aids,  Ink & Printer Cartridges,  & Propane Tanks. For more info go to http://www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/index.aspx?NID=69

Angel Fire: America Recycles Day, 11/15/2010-11/16/2010. Angel Fire Chamber of Commerce, 3407 Mountain View Blvd.This event will involve coordinating with the Village of Angel Fire, Angel Fire Resort and Moreno Valley High School as well as area committees.  http://www.afgov.org/

Albuquerque: BYOB  "Bring Your Own Bag", 11/13/2010, Wal-Mart Grocery, 10224 Coors Byp Nw. Keep Albuquerque Beautiful with the City of Albuquerque will work with local retailers to give away reusable shopping bags with each customer's purchase on Saturday, November 13th.  KAB will also have one central location to promote the day's event.  http://www.cabq.gov/solidwaste

Shiprock: Dine College Shiprock Campus 2010 America Recycles Day, 11/15/2010, Dine College Shiprock north campus, 1228 Yucca Street. Will have an information table for recycling locations on campus, information on waste audit to be conducted prior to event, how to recycle, and becoming a recycling bin volunteer.

Belen: Belen Recycling Extravanganza. 11/6/2010, Belen Recycling Center, Main St. will reintroduce the recyling facility to community. Provide hotdogs, jumpers, any activity to involve residents. Work with local elementary schools to heighten awareness

Gallup: Gallup Recycling Center Celebrates America Recycles Day / NM Recycling Month, 11/6/2010, NWNM Regional SWA-Gallup Transfer Station, 107 Hasler Valley Road. The event will be a promotion for the local recycling center.  SWA and Connections, Inc. staff along with  MCRC volunteers will be on site to inform and instruct citizens in the proper handling of recyclables.  Materials on how to reduce, reuse,

Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School,  Albuquerque: Can crushing contest & Recycling Relay, 11/10/2010, Can crushing contest between 5th grade & midschool classes.  We recycle paper, cans. plastic bottles, juice pouches, ink cartridges, soft plastic rings

West Las Vegas High School Parent Advisory Committee,  Las Vegas: West Las Vegas Recycles, 11/15/2010, West Las Vegas High School, 179 Moreno Street. We will host a day committed to presentations by community/local education agencies that focus on the benefits of recycling, the hazards related to landfills, and the resources available to community members. Focus on establishing a recycling program . http://wlvs.k12.state.nm.gov/

Carlsbad: America Recycles Day, 11/13/2010, Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park, 1504 Miehls Drive. Second annual event hosted by Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park, with support from the City of Carlsbad Recycling Advisory Board.  Activities, speakers, giveaways, exhibits & displays.

Santa Rosa Elementary National Elementary: SRES NEHS Celebrates: America Recycles Day!, 11/15/2010, Santa Rosa Elementary School. Santa Rosa Elementary National Elementary Honor Society 5th graders will visit each classroom K-5 and spread the message of the importance of recycling, using recycle bins and taking care of Mother Earth.

Sandia Prep School,  Albuquerque: Sustainable Prep, 11/15/2010. Raising awareness about how to recycle at Prep and at home.

White Sands Test Facility Sustainability Initiative Team,  Las Cruces: WSTF Recycles!, 11/15/2010-11/19/2010. Walk Around to talk with facility personnel about recycling, solicit suggestions, hand out gifts, and information for planning improvements to our site recycling program.

Seven Bar Elementary School,  Albuquerque: Recycle Everyday, 11/1/2010-11/30/2010, Announcements about how to, why, and where to reduce, re-use and recycle  paper, aluminum, plastic, glue sticks.

Pablo Roybal Elementary School,  Santa Fe: Recycling for our Community, 11/15/2010. Will begin recycling materials in our school cafeteria.

Ruidoso: E- Waste Recycling, 11/6/2010, Lawrence Brothers IGA Parking lot, 721 Mechem Dr. Keep Ruidoso Beautiful will partner with Greentree Solid Waste, VOR Solid waste and other civic groups to celebrate the annual "America Recycles Day" with a fall electronic waste recycling event to be held November 6, 2010 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Los Lunas: Recyling Day Event, 11/13/2010, Behind Village Adminstration Building, 660 Main St. NW, Recycling Items Only:  Glass, Clothes, Oil, Paper/Cardboard, Household Appliances, Electronics, Bicycles, Metal, Alumium, Plastic. http://www.loslunasnm.gov/

Questa: Recycling Awareness Month, 11/1/2010-11/30/2010, Questa High School, Conduct a recycle drive within our community to raise the awareness of recycling.

Bandelier,  Los Alamos: Recycling Day at Bandelier National Monument, 11/15/2010, Bandelier National Monument. Learn about the Truths and Myths of Northern New Mexico Recycling.

Grants: Recycle Cibola Expands, 11/15/2010, Fire and Ice Park, Santa Fe Avenue. An all day event to promote the expansion of recyclable materials collection to all forms of plastic and glass as well as the installation of FOUR community recycling drop off centers around Grants and Milan, NM. http://www.recyclecibola.org/

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by Matt Baume, Grist "San Francisco Watches Its Waste Line"
12 Oct 2010

Garbage: it's gross, it stinks, and all anyone wants is to be rid of it. For most cities, that means sending thousands of tons of unwanted flotsam and jetsam to landfills every day. But in San Francisco, garbage is treated like a resource that shouldn't be wasted. And that means formulating a plan to reduce the city's garbage output to zero. Yes, that's right: zero.

Sound impossible? Well, thanks to the country's toughest mandatory recycling and composting laws, the amount of refuse that San Francisco diverts to recycling and compost is nearing 80 percent, and keeps on climbing each year. (Read a Q&A with San Fran's top recycling official to find out how the city makes it happen.)

The beginning
San Francisco's zero-waste quest was touched off by AB 939, a 1989 law that required California towns to divert 50 percent of their trash away from landfills. Inspired, San Francisco decided it could do even better.

Throughout San Francisco, public bins offer options for trash, composting, and recycling."There was a perceived shortage of landfill space," says the bill's sponsor, former California Assemblyman Byron Sher. "San Francisco was a poster city for the problems. ... [The city] had to transport its solid waste over the Altamont Pass at considerable expense to the city."

Randy Hayes, then president of San Francisco's Commission on the Environment, saw a unique opportunity. The city worked with its exclusive waste hauler, Norcal Waste Systems (since rebranded as Recology) to run a dozen experimental pilot programs, augmented by community outreach meetings and teams dispatched to train businesses and residents. In 2000, a three-stream system was established: blue bins for recycling, green for compost, and black for landfill.

Collecting data about the city's refuse was key. "We do a lot of analysis of what San Francisco sends to the landfill," says Recology spokesman Robert Reed. "We look closely at the garbage ... and we saw a lot of food, so we designed this urban food scrap collection program." Following successful tests, home composting was made mandatory in 2009.

The new law has been met with more eagerness than outrage, thanks in part to a public education campaign that demonstrated the ease and convenience of composting.

The dreamers
The city's success might not have been possible without Recology President Mike Sangiacom, who was among the first in the hauling industry to push for new recycling and composting technology. At Sangiacomo's behest, Recology recently joined The Product Stewardship Council to push for packaging reform.

Jack Macy and the city's environmental staff worked hand-in-hand with Recology to develop a feasible zero-waste plan. "We wanted to say, ‘Well, when you're at 90 percent you're doing an awesome job, but then if you say that's the ultimate goal, you're saying it's okay to be wasting 10 percent of your resources,'" said Macy, the city's Commercial Zero Waste Coordinator. "As long as we're taking nonrenewable resources and throwing them away, that's not sustainable."

Randy Hayes was one of the first to push for zero waste at the city level. He explained that due to state and federal leaders' political gridlock, local initiatives are key to enacting environmental reform.  "The fallback becomes cities," he said. "If you look around the world at bold policy shifts, you'll see many more examples at a city level."

San Francisco leaders were initially skeptical, and asked the Department of Environment to reach a 75 percent diversion rate before setting loftier targets. But zero-waste evangelists had a powerful ally: average San Francisco citizens. "I've carried a lot of environmental legislation in my time," said AB939 sponsor Byron Sher. "But in the sense of one that was embraced by the public, this clearly has to be at the top of that list. People want to do the right thing."

The money
Diverting waste from landfills required new technology and equipment, the cost of which was borne by Recology. The company spends "millions" to provide San Francisco residents with all those bins, and spent $38 million, to build a new recycling plant on Pier 96 in the early 2000s. Recology also spent $2.5 million in 2009-10 to upgrade technology at Jepson Prairie Organics, where they compost food scraps.

Most customers only see the three bins, but behind the scenes, Recology has developed 18 separate recycling programs -- more than any city in the country -- to maximize diversion.
In addition to the ecological benefit, San Franciscans have a financial incentive to sort their waste. Customers who reduce their landfill-bound garbage get deductions on their hauling bills, and there's no fee for additional recycling and compositing bins. By sorting waste, businesses can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars, said Jack Macy.

The outcome
With the amount of garbage going to landfills steadily dwindling, San Francisco's war on waste is so far a huge success. In 2008, the last year for which the city has data, the diversion rate was 72 percent, up from 69 percent in 2007 and 67 percent in 2006. When the city enacted mandatory composting in 2009, the daily volume of compost grew from 400 tons per day to 600. And the initiative is spreading: In August of this year, nearby Marin began curbside pickup of kitchen-scrap compost.

The copycats
Spurred by San Francisco's success, surrounding cities are rushing to reduce their own landfill dependency. Across the bay, Oakland established its own food scrap collection program, and has targeted 2020 for achieving zero waste. Eco-conscious Berkeley changed the name of its Solid Waste Commission to the Zero Waste Commission, and San Jose is currently running compost pilot programs.

"Eventually, we're hoping that we'll only have to pick up the garbage every other week," said Carol Misseldine, Mill Valley's Sustainability Director.

In some towns, private citizens step in when their leaders' waste-reduction plans prove insufficient. Zero Waste Seattle, for example, pushes for citywide composting, as well as for carpet-recycling and the elimination of unnecessary phone books. In Portland, the Zero Waste Alliance seeks to expand the city's composting program, which is currently limited only to businesses.

Top city officials from around the world have toured Recology's state-of-the-art facilities. That's welcome news to Randy Hayes, who went on from the city's Department of the Environment to found the Rainforest Action Network and to serve as American Director of the World Future Council. Ultimately, he said, the planet's survival depends on our ability to reuse resources. "Waste is something we need to virtually eradicate from our society," he said.

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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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Tire Grant Awardees

The New Mexico Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau has awarded the following grants in their most recent round of tire recycling grants.

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Product Stewardship, the rapidly growing movement that engages manufacturers in reducing the health and environmental impacts of their products, received a recent boost through legislative action at the local, state, and federal levels. The four new laws impact the recycling or safe disposal of products as diverse as paint, phone books, carpet, and medicines.

Two new laws passed in California at the end of September shift the responsibility for collecting and managing waste carpet and paint off of taxpayers and local governments and onto the manufacturers and consumers of these products. The carpet law is the first of its kind for this product, while the paint law is based on a model first passed in Oregon in July 2009. The model is the result of a national agreement facilitated by the Product Stewardship Institute, Inc. (PSI), which convened paint manufacturers, retailers, contractors, recyclers, and government officials to jointly develop an environmentally sound and economically efficient solution to the leftover paint problem.

"PSI's unique process of engaging government and industry stakeholders, and incorporating all interests into the solution, helped us develop a state model that can be replicated across the country instead of having a patchwork of laws," said Alison Keane, Counsel for the American Coatings Association.

At the local level, the City of Seattle has decided that it is fed up with bearing the $148 per-ton cost of managing phone directories left on doorsteps and in entryways. In addition to requiring the telephone directory publishers to offset this cost by paying a fee to the city, a new ordinance passed by the Seattle City Council on Monday will create a third-party system for consumers to opt-out of receiving a telephone directory. PSI, which has been working to reduce phone book waste for the past four years, has created a model bill for states and municipalities that are ready to follow Seattle's lead.

"The City Council has heard from an overwhelming number of people who don't want phone books," said Councilmember Mike O'Brien, the prime sponsor of the new Seattle ordinance. "This law will help reduce waste, increase recycling, and save Seattle residents money."                         

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New Federal Law Enables Safe Disposal of Medicines

A new federal law, signed October 12 by President Barack Obama, will reduce costs and create more opportunities for collecting unused medicines from homes and long-term care facilities. The Safe and Secure Drug Disposal Act will give communities more options for providing secure take-back programs to prevent drug abuse, reduce the chances of accidental poisonings, and keep pharmaceutical drugs out of the environment.

"Passing the Safe and Secure Drug Disposal Act is a win for our children and our environment," said U.S. Representative Jay Inslee (WA), a key House bill sponsor. "Prescription drug abuse is a growing plague in our communities. This law will give communities a common sense approach to easily and safely get rid of leftover prescription medications."

The Drug Enforcement Administration will now begin to promulgate new regulations that will provide residents and long-term care facilities with greater flexibility to dispose of drugs that might include drop-off programs and mail-back options. Until now, opportunities to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs have been limited. Under current law, consumers are prohibited from giving certain unneeded, unused, or expired drugs to anyone besides law enforcement officers.  

"Local governments need a safe solution that encourages residents to get unwanted drugs out of their medicine cabinets," said Dave Galvin of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program for King County, Washington. "We now must develop a sustainable funding system so that taxpayers and local governments do not bear the full cost of these take-back programs."

"With this bipartisan effort, Congress stepped up to address an important issue that has the potential to curtail drug abuse and reduce environmental impacts from disposed medications," said Scott Cassel, Executive Director of the Product Stewardship Institute, a non-profit institute that advocated for this law along with a unique multi-stakeholder coalition.

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Recycling Added to Mix for Trek for Trash Clean-Up

By Esmeralda Almanza For the Sun-News
Posted: 10/20/2010

The 2010 Trek For Trash organizers at Keep Las Cruces Beautiful went one step further this year - collecting recyclables separately from trash in their cleanup efforts. Las Cruces residents rallied to beautify their city by picking up trash from the streets, schools and parks, while recycling at the same time. More than 800 volunteers registered to help and donated their time on Saturday, Oct. 16.

"An animal control officer recommended last year that we separate recyclables from the trash we were picking up. It was a great idea - and we implemented it this year!" said Craig Fenske, the Keep Las Cruces Beautiful coordinator. "Trash went into black trash bags ... while aluminum cans and plastic bottles went into clear bags."

Full bags were left on site for another Haven On Earth volunteers to pick up. Recyclables were transferred to the South Central Solid Waste Authority.

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EPA Hosts Meetings to Address Extended Producer Responsibility

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked 27 local and state government managers and packaging industry executives to hold multi-stakeholder discussions on the sustainable financing of municipal recycling of packaging materials. The group’s first meeting was held in September, and the project’s facilitators expect at least three more meetings will take place.
The group will focus on determining the current state of affairs in municipal recycling, focusing on the challenges and opportunities for this nation’s 9,000-plus local recycling programs. The goal is to develop a detailed action plan that is state-based but nationally coordinated.

Task force members will take a look at the potential opportunity for an extended producer responsibility financing system under which brand owners would finance local recycling efforts. The stakeholder group includes representatives from many of America’s largest brand owners and retailers, including Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, ConAgra Foods, Estee Lauder, General Mills, Kraft Foods, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson & Son, Target and Walmart.

Interviews with a handful of group members show general optimism regarding this initiative, which was developed in response to requests to EPA from local and state government officials. One governmental official said that he was “encouraged by the meeting, given there is no disagreement that the U.S. recycling system is underperforming, and [we’ve seen] little pushback by brand owners [that they] need to play a larger role in the future.”

A concern, however, of several parties is that some industry members are eager to see the group focus on “packaging recovery” and not just “packaging recycling.” These executives want to see waste-to-energy and other landfill diversion strategies included in the definition of “recovery,” and not have the group focus solely on the traditional notion of material recycling. The group’s second meeting will be held before the end of the year.

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Price for OCC remained the same for our region in September and will not change in October either. Paper mills are running almost at full capacity and at least in the Southwest, generation has been meeting demand. Price for ONP 8 went down $10 per Ton in September, but it is going up the same amount for October. Other deinking grades continue to have strong demand. There were no mayor changes in price during September, but SOP is going down $15 in October and SWL is going up $10 per Ton. Price for plastics has been going up and down just a little, but overall remaining stable. Aluminum cans experienced a little bit of improvement in the last couple of weeks.

Please note that prices may differ due to different circumstances like presentation, transportation costs, and amounts of materials being picked-up or delivered. These prices are good for the month of October as well.

* 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 2010

Tom Rico, City of Roswell; Richard Kerner, 7UP/RC Bottling; Karen Temple Beamish, Albuquerque Academy; Terry Tadano, Socorro Area Chamber of Commerce; Dennis Gallegos, Waste Management Farmington; Hiram Muse; Michael Alexander, Recycle Away; Dwight McDonough, Estancia Valley Solid Waste Authority; Evelena McGahey; Sylvia Hewett Schneider, City of Carlsbad; Bill Radosevich, NM Waste Servivces; Wilson Laughter, Navajo Nation; Susan Flores, Keep Tularosa Beautiful; Rob Vezina, Toter; Joseph Godfrey, Recycle Taos; Dave Holtman, Western Metals Recycling; Vicki Andrews, Road Runner Waste Service, Inc.; Jerome Salazar, CH2M Hill; Tim Sisneros, F5 Equipment; Theresa Riedinger, Cargotec USA, Inc; Carrie McChesney, Concept Green LLC; Dan Makens, Trails End Woodworks; Andrew Gough; Edward Cook, ServiceMaster Performance; Michelle Murphy, Gap, Inc; Drew Baker, Green Removal Systems; Linda Stevens, Artesia Clean and Beautiful; Bob Carman, Bloomfield Pride Commission; Harriett Taylor, Keep Bosque Farms Beautiful; John Beasley, Keep Carlsbad Beautiful; Bill Bizzell, Keep Clovis Beautiful; Joe Padilla, Keep Dona Ana County Beautiful, Robert Torres, Keep Hatch Beautiful; Craig Fenske, Keep Las Cruces Beautiful; Anita Bradford, Keep Las Vegas Beautiful; Ellen Bizzell, Keep Ruidoso Beautiful; Kathy Tetreault, Keep Ruidoso Downs Beautiful; Gilda Montano, Keep Santa Fe Beautiful; Yvette Fazekas & Cathy Keep Tucumcari Beatiful; Cyndi Sluder, Tierra Bonita of Valencia County; Charles Fiedler, Gordon Environmental; Cecila Jerkatis; Sherman Bilbo, City of Santa Fe Waste Water; Dan Domonoske, Southwest Fibers, LLC; Dick Blinzler

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Regional Round Up

Taos will start accepting plastics #1 and #2 at the end of the month. The Town of Taos has a robust recycling program and is pleased to finally expand to plastics.

Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival is slated to occur November 12-14, 2010 at El Museo Cultural in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Working with Keep Santa Fe Beautiful and their recycling education efforts surrounding America Recycles Day (November 15th), this event attracts thousands of art lovers, trashy shoppers and the eco-conscious holiday gift-giver. More than fifty artists using a minimum of 75% recycled materials to create their work, will be displaying and offering these wonders for sale in the art market and juried art exhibit. If you would like to create a recycled outfit and walk the stage in the Trash Fashion Contest, the evening of November 12th, register online at www.recyclesantafe.org

Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful is now accepting grant applications for recycling, litter prevention, beautification and environmental education activities that serve the community. Mini-grants up to $1,000 are available to schools, churches, community-based groups and nonprofits.  A total of $4,000 will be awarded from funding provided by New Mexico Clean & Beautiful, a program of the New Mexico Tourism Department. The grant application, as well as additional guidelines for how grant funding can be used, is available on the city’s Web site, http://www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us, by clicking on KRRB’s Kerby Coyote mascot icon and link located on the right side of the main home page.  For additional information or questions, please contact (505) 896-8389. Applications due Dec. 17, 2010.

Las Cruces Area: JBC International, LLC, a plastics recycling company, has announced that it will establish operations in Chaparral, NM.

JBC International, LLC is a five-year-old company with current recycling operations in Juarez. The Chaparral facility will collect plastic products and recycle them into usable production inputs for industrial applications. The company plans to hire approximately 12 employees. The company has purchased the land for its operations on the Otero County side of Chaparral close to Highway 54 south of the Otero County Detention Center. Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year.

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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

Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Authority Job Listing The position of Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station site manager is open until filled. Click here to read job description.

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Recycling Tidbits

Congress Weighs Export Ban
From Resource Recycling - In response to the steady stream of reports detailing how developing countries in Asia and Africa have become the dumping grounds for discarded electronics, two Democratic U.S. representatives, along with a Republican co-sponsor, have introduced legislation to clamp down on the practice. HR 6252,

The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act of 2010, sponsored by Representatives Gene Green (D-Texas), Mike Thompson (D-California) and John R. Carter (R-Texas), would essentially ban all non-appliance electronic scrap from being exported from the U.S. to non-OECD countries. The text of the legislation prohibits the export of unprocessed cathode ray tubes or CRT glass, although it makes an exception for furnace-ready CRT glass cleaned of phosphorous. Batteries containing lead, cadmium and mercury would also be barred from export. Devices containing, or suspected of containing, polychlorinated biphenyls and materials containing hexavalent chromium or beryllium are also specifically named. The bill makes exceptions for devices that are tested-working and destined for resale.

Seattle First to Create Opt-Out Registry for Phone Books
Seattle became the first city in the nation to create a registry that allows its residents and business to stop delivery of unwanted yellow pages phone books.   More»

Company to Boost Use of Recyclable Packaging by 2013
Clorox Co. plans to have at least 90% of its products in recyclable primary packaging by 2013, according the cleaning giant's first ever corporate responsibility report.   More»

WM, Inc., Organizations Create Recycling Program for Kids
Waste Management Inc. is joining with the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, USA Today and Live Nation to create a new recycling program aimed at students.   More»

Report Says PET Recycling Rate Increased 28% in 2009
Alcoa announced the launch of a free, user-friendly iPhone application compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad that will make it fun and easy for consumers to recycle aluminum cans. The new app – called AluminateTM – will help consumers find recycling centers, track how many aluminum cans they recycle, and calculate the cash they can earn as they help protect the environment through recycling aluminum cans.

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Calendar

November 4-5, Retreat at Sevilleta Research Station, 10 AM to 3 PM to 1 PM

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2010 Recycling and Composting Facility Operator Certification Class Schedule

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