New Mexico Recycling Coalition

Recycling Scraps

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

February 23, 2007

Legislative Updates

It seems like so much is happening this legislative cycle in regard to recycling and solid waste. It's an exciting time to be involved and with only 22 days left in the session, many bills could easily get lost in the shuffle. If you have a bill of interest, make sure you contact members of upcoming committee hearings. Your phone call makes a difference. If you have a personal contact or a legislator hails from your district your outreach could make an even greater difference!

For current information check out our Bills webpage at www.recyclenewmexico.com/Bills.htm.

Recycling Trouble in Albuquerque

City Will Work to Retrieve 150 Tons of Recyclables Mistakenly Discarded at a Landfill

Saturday, February 17, 2007, Albuquerque Journal

By Jim Ludwick
Journal Staff Writer

The city will be digging into its own garbage dump this weekend to recover some 150 tons of recyclable material taken to a landfill instead of a recycling plant. Leonard Garcia, director of the Solid-Waste Management Department, said that the problem was caused by a mistake in judgment and that steps have been taken to ensure it won't happen again. According to Garcia, the city's recycling plant operates under state regulations that say it can't store material for more than two days without burying it. There was an equipment problem at the recycling plant, and a supervisor decided that material should be sent to the landfill because it couldn't be handled within the time limits. Truckloads from Jan. 31 to Feb. 8 were diverted to the landfill.

Initially, "this was never conveyed up the chain of command," Garcia said. There would have been alternatives to using the landfill if higher-level managers had known about the situation, he said. Garcia said the department could have asked the state for permission to store recyclables for a longer period of time because of the temporary problem. It would also have been possible to work out an arrangement with other recyclers, perhaps in Santa Fe, who could have taken the material for processing, he said. Garcia said that the supervisor has been replaced and that the department has developed new policies to avoid a repeat of the situation. Instructions have been given to truck drivers, telling them that they are not allowed to take recyclables to the landfill under any circumstances without the permission of the department director or deputy director— "and we're not going to give that approval," Garcia said.

This weekend, work crews will go to the landfill and recover as much of the recyclables as they can, he said. They know where the material was dumped, Garcia said. In addition, the department is putting together a policy to follow in the event of equipment shutdowns. Garcia said he hopes to establish agreements with other recyclers. Under a mutual-aid pact, Albuquerque could send recyclables elsewhere when necessary, and other recyclers could send their material to Albuquerque when there are problems, he said.

http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/539058metro02-17-07.htm

Sidebar: What Santa Fe Did When Their End-Processor Was Not Available

In light of the City of Albuquerque's situation where the recyclables were documented as being dumped in the landfill, NMRC asked Justin Stockdale, who runs the recycling facility for Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency (SFSWMA) what Santa Fe has done in the past when their end-processor was not able to accept their recyclables.

SFSWMA worked out an agreement with Albuquerque fiber processor Durango McKinley Paper Company to bale the recycling at $30/ton. Waste Management then agreed to ship the baled recyclables to Denver with their own loads to be processed free of charge. This scenario has worked for months until the Santa Fe processing facility was completed.

Santa Fe MRF Opens

"New Reason to Recycle"

By Julie Ann Grimm
Santa Fe New Mexican article, February 11, 2007

Millions in new equipment signals renewed regional effort, which could increase participation

A roll-off truck rattles into the chilly warehouse on Santa Fe's western edge, and a worker opens its back gate. As the driver inches forward and elevates one end of the load, a waterfall comprising thousands of plastic bottles, aluminum cans and other containers pours onto the floor.

"Money! It's all money," shouts Justin Stockdale, making sure he's heard over the din of the falling materials. Long valued as a resource-friendly, albeit money-losing practice, recycling in Santa Fe finally has the potential to be an economic benefit for the community.

Instead of bulldozing the jumble of materials into a second truck and carting them to Albuquerque at a cost, the Regional Solid Waste Management Agency now hopes to make recycling pay for itself, and perhaps turn a profit. Last week, new $2 million machines that sort and bale the material for sale to manufacturers began running for the first time at the materials-recovery facility off Buckman Road, the site of a former city transfer station. They are expected to usher in a new era in recycling.

Already, several 52-foot trailers full of paper and cardboard bales are ready to be shipped out to a paper mill in Prewitt, N.M. The facility will accept materials collected by the city through its curbside residential recycling program and much smaller commercial collections, as well as recyclables from the county's seven drop-off locations and from private companies such as Waste Management.

While regional recycling programs have been running at a deficit since they started more than a decade ago, program director Stockdale believes if enough communities, private collectors and businesses use it, the joint city/county program will start to generate revenue. But in order to get the best price for the recyclables, the materials must arrive "clean" and in a form that can easily be reused. That means Santa Feans will have to pay closer attention to recycling rules. Greasy pizza boxes are out. So are plastic bags, cereal boxes, six-pack containers and broken glass.

Continued Story Online at

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/56806.html

Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation Recognizes Holloman Air Force Base

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a non-profit public service organization dedicated to recycling used rechargeable batteries and old cell phones, announced the recipients of its sixth annual “Recycling Leadership Awards” with regional recipients selected from various parts of the United States. Both the national and regional awards recognize RBRC’s community and public program participants for their outstanding efforts in rechargeable battery recycling through the Call2Recycle™ program.

Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), Alamogordo, New Mexico was recognized for its participation in the Call2Recycle Program. Since joining the RBRC program in 2001, Holloman AFB has played an instrumental role in the recycling of rechargeable batteries in New Mexico. Holloman AFB was recognized not only for being the largest volume participating base in the RBRC program in 2005, but also for having assisted in enrolling 10 additional AFB locations into the RBRC program, including: Altus AFB, Mountain Home AFB, Malstrom AFB, Barksdale AFB, Buckley AFB, Langley AFB, Los Angeles AFB, Canon AFB, Cheyenne Mountain AFB, and Sheppard AFB. Holloman Air Force Base also received the Federal Facility Recycling Program of the Year Award from the New Mexico Recycling Coalition in 2005. To date, Holloman AFB has collected a total of 6,500 pounds of rechargeable batteries. In 2005, the base collected more than 2,300 pounds. Plus, the ten new bases have recycled an additional 2,187 pounds since their enrollment.

Congratulations to Holloman Air Force Base and Mike Jago, the recycling program coordinator and his team at Holloman!

Providing Composted Mulch to the NM Department of Transportation Workshop, April 4, Santa Fe

The New Mexico Recycling Coalition will host a morning workshop in Santa Fe to provide detailed information on the compost specifications used by the NM Department of Transportation (NMDOT), necessary components to creating a good composted mulch and how the NMDOT is implementing this product on their roadside projects.

This class is hosted via NMRC's USDA Forest Service CFRP grant and is open to all interested parties in an effort to increase the amount of composted mulch and unprocessed mulch material produced for NMDOT's use.

The workshop is scheduled on April 4, from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM at the BLM offices in Santa Fe. The workshop is free.

For more information or to register, contact Sarah Pierpont at sarah@recyclenewmexico.com or call 505-603-0558.

Managing Medical Waste Workshop, February 28, Las Cruces

Join Dr. Joe King for a free workshop that addresses medical waste handling generated in New Mexico and which then ends up in neighboring states and Mexico.

Click here for informational flyer.

2007 Recycling and Composting Facility Operator Certification Class Schedule Set

The class schedule for the certification courses has been set for 2007 as follows:

Compost Facility Course:

April 17-19, Ruidoso Downs (limited to 30 seats so register asap!)

October 23-25, Albuquerque

Recycling Facility Course:

May 15-17, Farmington

December 4-6, Albuquerque

A registration flyer will be mailed out early February. You can register at any time online at www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes

NMRC Annual Meeting to Address Climate Change in Relation To Recycling, May 23

Our 2007 NMRC Annual Membership Meeting has been scheduled for May 23 at the University of New Mexico Rotunda in Albuquerque and will focus on legislative updates and implications for out industry, as well as climate change in regard to recycling. Mark your calendars for May 23 to attend this great networking and educational meeting!

Regional Recycling Round-Up

Albuquerque Update: Albuquerque will hold a public electronic waste collection event on March 10, from 9 AM to 3 PM at the Balloon Fiesta Park off Alameda and San Mateo. The city has also launched an impressive Albuquerque Sustainability website. Check it out at www.cabq.gov/sustainability. The city also offers presentations about recycling to citizens.

Santa Fe Update: The Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency has opened their Material Recovery Facility (MRF). See article above from Santa Fe New Mexican. The City of Santa Fe, which operates the local residential and commercial collection services, is currently evaluating their commercial rate structure and how collection is operated, as only 1% of businesses in Santa Fe are recycling. Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency, a joint power formed between the city and county of Santa Fe, has a $1.5 million capital outlay request into the Legislature to start its own commercial collection service, which would include pick-up at the state office buildings.

Clovis Update: Joel Garcia, Clovis's new solid waste director, has re-instated recycling in Clovis and has hopes to start drop-off recycling again. Clovis started collecting cardboard in November, working with Master Fibers to recycle it and received assistance from Canon Air Force Base with a donation of old collection devices. The cardboard collection compliments a green waste recycling program already in place. Joel explained that Clovis in the past had focused recycling efforts on glass and went through a series of problems ranging from lack of markets and un-necessary expenditures. Joel has been able to take advantage of starting the cardboard recycling at almost no cost to the city and has started working with the local Wal-Mart to collect shopping bags as well. In the upcoming year, he hopes to gain city approval to expand recycling to other traditional items with a drop-off center.

San Miguel County Update: Recycling will be available soon in Pecos, a rural community right outside Santa Fe County. San Miguel County and Santa Fe County have entered into an agreement to establish recycling collection at the Pecos Transfer Station for residents to recycle paper, cardboard, aluminum, tin and plastic. No glass will be recycled. Residents must pay $30 per year for a pass to recycle. Santa Fe County, which will provide transportation and the bins for the collection, is waiting for funds approval to move forward. Phil Westen, director of Santa Fe County Solid Waste, stated in a news article that recycling coming to Pecos was motivated by local celebrity resident Jane Fonda pulling some political muscle.

Espanola Update: A $1 millions grant was awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency to expand and upgrade their wastewater plant. The funding will allow the city to reduce the ammonia level it discharges into the Rio Grande and increase its treatment capacity. The changes to the facility will help protect the health and safety of local water bodies and provide
safe drinking water to communities.

We would love to include regular updates on your community's recycling efforts. Please e-mail english@recyclenewmexico.com with your news.

Grants

State Recycling Grants Available

The New Mexico Recycling and Illegal Dumping Alliance and NM Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau announce the opening of a new 2007 grant cycle for recycling and illegal dumping proposals.

Grant Due Date: April 2, 2007

The following are eligible to apply: New Mexico municipalities and counties; solid waste authorities; pueblos, tribes, and Indian nations; land grant communities; and cooperative associations. A total of approximately $200,000 will be available for this grant cycle, to be split equally between recycling and illegal dumping proposals. It is anticipated that there will only be one grant cycle in 2007.

For instructions and application forms, please go to: http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/SWB/nmr&id.htm.

For questions, please contact Jill Holbert, NMED Solid Waste Bureau, at 827-0129, or e-mail at jill.holbert@state.nm.us .

Grant Writing Training

NGO New Mexico will be presenting four 2.5-day grantsmanship training workshops between March and April. These workshops are being held in Gallup (Apr 4-6), Las Vegas (April 25-27), Roswell (March 7-9) and Silver City (Feb 28-Mar 2). It is a solid orientation to the grantsmanship process for non-profit organizations, government employees (city, county, state), non-profit and for-profit professionals in private business, and associations. It provides students with skills to effectively increase grant revenues from government agencies and private foundations.

Please click here for registration information and flier.

PS - Personal note from English Bird, who attended a similar class with this instructor. I found this class to be excellent and helped me to hone in on what I wanted to be funded for as wel as identify objectives and goals and how to convey that.

Recycling Tidbits

Recycling International

Recycling International Magazine is available for a trial subscription at
http://www.recycling.org/cgi-bin/rec_intl.cgi

IKEA To Charge For Bags

Ikea is going to start charging a nickel per bag and reduce the price
of reusable bags to 69 cents in the US. After doing the same in the
UK, it says it has reduced bag usage by 95%.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17261826/from/RS.4/

Wine Cork Recycling

Have you ever wondered why wine and Champagne corks are not being recycled in the USA? Wine and Champagne cork stoppers are recycled in Australia and Europe. Send your wine and Champagne cork stoppers prepaid (paid by sender) to Yemm & Hart via UPS or USPS:

Wine Cork Recycling
Yemm & Hart Ltd
610 South Chamber Dr
Fredericktown MO 63645

Please don't send plastic wine stoppers and other non-cork materials.

http://www.yemmhart.com/news+/winecorkrecycling.htm

California Targets Organics Recycling For Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Statement for an upcoming California workshop on the topic: Landfills are a significant source of manmade methane emissions in California. Methane is created when organic materials, whether disposed of or used as cover materials, decompose anaerobically in landfills. Therefore, one way to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California would be to phase out compostable organic materials such as yard trimmings and food scraps from landfill disposal or use. In addition, organic materials have numerous benefits when returned to the soil, from replenishing the soil, retaining water, helping to prevent soil erosion, and treating stormwater, among others.

Stopping Junk Mail

The junk mail issue has arrived at state capitols across the nation. According to a recent e-mail from the Center for a New American Dream, state legislation that would create "Do Not Mail" lists (similar to the existing national "Do Not Call" list) has been introduced in nine states: Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Texas and Washington.

Information on the Washington state Senate and House bills is at: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5719&year=2007 and http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1205&year=2007

Here is a release from the National Association of Letter Carriers, stating its "fierce opposition" to the Washington state bill:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-08-2007/0004523772&EDATE=

Direct marketing remains an important strategy for retailers, despite the growth of online sales. Retailers spent $20 billion on catalog marketing during 2006, an increase of 35 percent from $14.8 billion in 2001, according to DMA. "Many people thought that shopping online would mean the death of catalogs," says John A. Greco Jr., DMA president and chief executive. "Instead, we've seen just the opposite." The industry mailed 19.1 billion catalogs in 2005, according to the most-recent available figures from DMA.

Calendar

**March 16, NMRC Board Meeting, Santa Fe, 12-4 PM. RSVP to english@recyclenewmexico.com

**March 29, CFRP Training for Forest Professionals, Ruidoso Downs. More info from sarah@recyclenewmexico.com

**April 4, Providing Composted Mulch to the NM Department of Transportation, Santa Fe. More info from sarah@recyclenewmexico.com

**May 23, NMRC Annual Meeting and Workshop, UNM Rotunda North, Morning

**July 20, NMRC Board Meeting, Rio Rancho, 12-4 PM

**September 16-19, National Recycling Coalition Congress, Denver

**September 21, NMRC Board Meeting, Los Alamos, 12-4 PM

**Nov 30-Dec 1, NMRC Board Retreat, Albuquerque area

Recycling and Composting Facility Operator Certification Class Schedule for 2007 - Register Online Today!

April 17-19, Compost Class, Ruidoso Downs

May 15-17, Recycling Class, Farmington