January 25, 2008
NMRC Board
Meeting, March 20
All members are welcome to join the NMRC board
meeting, scheduled for Thursday, March 20th starting at 11:00 AM in Rio Rancho.
Please email English Bird at
english@recyclenewmexico.com
to RSVP to attend the meeting.
2008 Certification Course Schedule
Announced
Recycling Facility Operator Certification
Course
May 13-15, Grants
December 9-11, Santa Fe
Composting Facility Operator Certification
Course
April 15-17, Ruidoso
October 7-9, Albuquerque
To register, please go to
www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes.htm
Call for Abstracts: NM
Recycling Conference
On June 3-4, 2008, a conference will be held in Albuquerque to educate and unite
New Mexicans serving on the recycling front. The conference will be hosted by
the New Mexico Recycling Coalition and the New Mexico Environment Department:
Solid Waste Bureau.
Keynote speakers, lectures, panel discussions, and roundtables in the categories
listed below will be selected. To initiate your participation as a speaker,
experts from industry, academia, government, recyclers and consultants are
invited to submit papers describing research, applications, tools and case
studies. Approximately 30 minutes are provided for each presentation, including
questions and responses.
SUBMISSIONS DUE BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2008
Presenters will receive free Conference admission for one day. For more
information about the conference, please go to www.recyclenewmexico.com/conference08.htm.
We are especially interested in the following TOPICS:
Hot Topics in Recycling
· E-waste recovery
· Single-stream collection
· Zero waste programs and initiatives
· Hard to recycle items and programs
· Combining collection / processing / marketing among communities (hub and spoke
model)
· Construction and demolition recycling
· Pay as You Throw incentives to recycle
· Climate change and recycling
· Recycling in the hospitality industry
· Commercial recycling collection
Innovations in Processing
· Material recovery facilities
· Organics diversion
· Tire processing
Tools to Improve Operational Efficiencies / Best Management Practices
· Curbside versus drop-off centers
· Economics of various collection / transfer / recycling equipment
· Automated collection
· Training and safety issues
· Commercial recycling audits
· Geographical challenges/ rural recycling tactics
· Tribal operations
· College and university recycling
· Institutional, lab and corporate recycling
Finding the Money for Recycling
· Funding / grant opportunities
Buying Recycled
· Reuse / buy recycled / recycled products
· Green retailers
Guidance for Advocates
· Legislative trends / initiatives
· Environmental justice issues
· Bottle bill pros / cons
· Education and outreach
· New Mexico Recycling Awareness Month
When completing the application, please keep these points in mind:
1. How is your subject contemporary and relevant? Explain what is new or unique
about the information presented.
2. What specific benefits or advantages will attendees gain from this topic? Be
specific about the tools and techniques you provide for attendees.
3. What will the participants be able to do as a result of attending this
session?
4. Provide examples of how the points presented can be transferred to other
organizations.
On your Abstract Submittal please include: *Contact name *Company *Address
*City, State, Zip *Phone *Fax *Email *Website *Abstract Title *AV Needs *2-3
Paragraph Description of Your Talk
Submit your Abstract online: at
www.recyclenewmexico.com/callforabstracts08.htm
OR Mail to NMRC, PO Box 24364, Santa Fe, NM 87502.
Fax to 505-471-0328 or email to sarah@recyclenewmexico.com.
Call for Info: 505-603-0558.
Waste Management Opens New Hobbs Recycling Facility
Waste Management of New Mexico announced on Dec. 18, 2007
the opening of the Hobbs Recycling Facility on Marland Street in the city of Hobbs.
The new facility will provide the residents of Hobbs and Lea County free
disposal of recyclable items. Waste Management gave away recycled products
to the first 500 residents who use the facility.
The new facility,
at 3000 E. Marland Street, will accept recyclable items such as cardboard,
newspaper, aluminum, steel, tin and plastics, numbered one and two, such as soda
bottles, milk jugs and water bottles. Until now, if residents wanted to dispose
of these items they had to throw them in the trash.
The hours of
operation for the Hobbs Recycling Facility are:
·
Tuesday through Saturday from
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.;
·
Wednesday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00
p.m.;
·
Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
“We at Waste Management are committed to helping keep the
communities we serve clean through innovative recycling programs,” said Calvin
Ivy, general manager for Waste Management of New Mexico. “The success of
recycling depends the participation of the community and we are proud to open
this new facility and help the people of Hobbs do their part.” Ivy added that Waste Management currently manages more than
8 million tons of recyclables a day in North America and plans to triple that
amount by 2020.
For more information on WM, visit
www.wm.com.
NMRC Has a Deputy Director!
As of January 1 of this year, NMRC is incredibly
pleased to promote Sarah Pierpont as Deputy Director of the organization. Sarah
has overseen the USDA Forest Service CFRP grant program for the past year and
has assisted us with the 2006 conference. She is available to assist you at any
time. Just give her a ring at 505-603-0558 or email her at
sarah@recyclenewmexico.com
From
Wood Chips to Composted Mulch Workshop March 4th
Join NMRC for a free
workshop, From Wood Chips to Composted Mulch: Meetings the New Mexico Department of
Transportation (NMDOT) Specifications on March 4th, 2008 at the
BLM Conference Room in Santa Fe (1474 Rodeo Road) from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm.
Learn how to make composted mulch that can be sold to the NMDOT for roadside
applications. Topics covered will include NMDOT Compost Specifications, Mulch
Production & NMDOT Price Agreement information.
As part of the USDA Forest
Service funded Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) grant, NMRC is
working to increase awareness about the value of mulch and compost as a forest
waste by-product and its application for erosion control. Ultimately increasing
the creation and implementation of compost/mulch statewide. NM Department of
Transportation currently uses both mulch and compost in roadside reclamation and
re-seeding projects. This represents a potentially large market for these
value-added forest residuals and an opportunity to beneficially reuse the
by-products of forest thinning activities. Bearing this in mind, NMRC strives
to educate those working in the compost and forestry industry about this
end-market for their products.
Workshop space is limited. To
register please visit
http://www.recyclenewmexico.com/cfrp_project_registration.htm or contact
Sarah Pierpont at
sarah@recyclenewmexico.com or 505-603-0558.
Carlsbad Recycling Pilot
Launched
The Current-Argus,
January 18, 2008
Recycling, as an
organized governmental effort, has been in place in some New Mexico communities
for many years. And now Carlsbad has an opportunity to embrace the practice of
recycling.
A pilot project,
propelled by a $20,000 grant through the New Mexico Environment Department, will
include the purchase of roll-out containers for curbside collection of
recyclables. Current plans are for the purchase of 400 containers, with 200 to
be placed in north Carlsbad and 200 in south Carlsbad. They will also be large -
at 90 gallons each container - but this might prove to be an advantage.
When instituting a
recycling program to newbies, it's important to keep it as user-friendly as
possible. With these large containers, all recyclable materials can be placed
together. It's no longer a matter of separating newsprint from slick magazine
paper, glued bindings from stapled bindings, No. 1 plastic from No. 2 plastic,
aluminum foil from tin cans and so forth. Another advantage with this pilot
program is that it is voluntary.
Some
municipalities have structured, color-coded collection bins and can impose
penalties for misuse or nonuse of a recycling program. One need not be a
tree hugger to appreciate the benefits of recycling.
Landfills are no
longer at the same level as the old city dump. They are expensive to build
initially and expensive to close down. It's no longer a matter of closing the
gate, wrapping a chain around the posts and clicking the padlock. In some
settings, expensive monitoring can be required for dozens of years. A higher
level of recycling means less material will be going into a landfill. And the
longer an existing landfill can be used, the less expense there is to the
community for closing it and starting another.
In addition, some
individuals and families may be surprised at the amount of waste items they
accrue during a given time period, recyclable and otherwise, which can prompt
them to look at their consumption.
A recent online
poll conducted on the Current-Argus Web site revealed that among 53 respondents,
six (11.32 percent) stated they currently recycle items on a regular basis,
while 21 (39.62 percent) see it as too much trouble. The third available
response - "Sometimes. Not as often as I should"- received 26 votes (49.05
percent). This shows that there are residents out there who recognize the value
of recycling.
If the mindset
behind recycling, including the economic and environmental factors, can be
further developed among residents, the pilot project may prove to be more
successful in more ways than ever imagined. It could grow for years beyond this
initial pilot project, perhaps becoming citywide.
The Current-Argus,
which uses recycled newsprint and has its own recycling program, supports this
effort and encourages residents to sign up for this project.
National Recycling Bin Contest Grant
Awardees
At the end of 2007, the National Recycling
Coalition in partnership with Coca-Cola hosted a recycling bin contest. We are
pleased to report that two organizations in New Mexico were funded for this
program. We will let you know when the next round of grant proposals will be
accepted.
Congratulations to:
Eastern
New Mexico University-Roswell - Roswell, New Mexico
Santa
Clara Pueblo Espanola - New Mexico
Congressional Quarterly - National
Recycling Picture
The newsletter Congressional Quarterly December
14, 2007 edition dedicated their edition to the topic of recycling. This is a
great snapshot of recycling trends full of facts and figures to use in your own
programs.
Click here to view
the newsletter.
Pay as You Throw Resources
EPA
Region 8 has launched a Pay-As-You-Throw Incentive Trash Rate and Recycling Program.
New Mexico is not included in Region 8, but the website has some fantastic
resources.
EPA is kicking
off a new initiative to “spread the word” about Pay As You Throw (PAYT) across
Colorado. PAYT provides an incentive for households to recycle by charging lower
fees for fewer or smaller garbage cans of service – so households save money if
they recycle. These incentive-based rates are in place all over the nation –
including some notables here in Colorado (Fort Collins, Boulder, Loveland, and
newly, Lafayette, among others). However, despite extremely strong performance
and high acceptance in communities after the fact, there are not very many
programs in Colorado. EPA Region 8 thinks it can grow, and that PAYT can be a
lynchpin in increasing Colorado’s recycling rate. PAYT not only increases
recycling, but is also economic to implement, reduces greenhouse gasses, and
helps communities reach green goals. Households appreciate the improvements in
equity – they like not paying the same as the household down the street that
puts out multiple overstuffed cans!
Fact Sheets
Success Stories
Sample City &
County Legislation for PAYT
Go to
www.paytwest.org
NM Reutilization and
Acquisition Model Program
A program to reuse and
recycle medical care equipment has been launched recently. Please check out
their website at
www.backinuse.com or contact
Lorie Pacheco Gulley,
505-954-8529.
Call Out For
American Forestry and Paper Association Recycling Awards
Entry forms for the 2008 AF&PA
Recycling Awards are now available at
www.paperrecyclingawards.org
If you have a successful business,
community, school, or university recycling program, tell us about it:
- AF&PA
Business Leadership Recycling Award
- AF&PA
Community Recycling Award
- AF&PA
College & University Recycling Award
- AF&PA
School-Wide Recycling Award
Entries must be received by
Thursday, January 31, 2008. Award winners will receive their prizes
- an original piece of paper art and a monetary award - as part of the 131st
AF&PA Paper Week in New York City on April 1, 2008.
AF&PA is pleased to recognize outstanding
recycling programs as part of on-going industry efforts to increase paper
recovery. In 2006, 53.4 percent (53.5 million tons) of the paper consumed in
the U.S. was recovered for recycling. While this is great news, there is
more that can be done. The paper industry has set a goal of 55 percent by
2012. For additional information on paper recycling and resources, please
visit
www.paperrecycles.org.
EPA Cell Phone Recycling Program
EPA is pleased to answer
America’s call for easy cell phone recycling.
The nation’s leading cell phone makers, service providers,
and retailers
have teamed up with the EPA to launch a national campaign
encouraging
Americans to recycle their unwanted cell phones. Partners
supporting the
Recycle Your Cell Phone. It’s An Easy Call Campaign include
AT&T
Wireless, Best Buy, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Office
Depot,
Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, and T-Mobile.
To kick-off the campaign, EPA has released a series of print
public
service announcements, which highlight the convenience and
environmental
and social benefits of recycling a cell phone. EPA also
released a
podcast that addresses many common questions on cell phone
recycling.
Many consumers still do not know where or how they can
recycle their
unwanted cell phones. Consequently, less than 20 percent of
unwanted
cell phones are recycled each year. Recycling a cell phone
offers an
opportunity for everyone to help reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, save
energy, and conserve natural resources. If Americans
recycled 100
million phones, we could save enough energy to power more
than 194,000
U.S. households for a year.
The Recycle Your Cell Phone. It’s An Easy Call Campaign is a
part of
EPA’s Plug-In To eCycling. Plug-In To eCycling is a
voluntary
partnership between EPA and electronics manufacturers,
retailers, and
service providers to offer consumers more opportunities to
donate or
recycle their used electronics. In 2007, as part of their
commitment to
the program, retailers and electronics manufacturers
voluntarily
recycled more than 47 million pounds of electronics, mostly
computers
and televisions.
For more information about the Recycle Your Cell Phone. It’s
An Easy
Call Campaign, please check out the attached fact sheet or
visit our
website at:
www.epa.gov/cellphones . For more
information about
the Plug-In To eCycling program, please visit: <www.epa.gov/plugin>
.
Environmental Essay Contest 2008
The Essay
contest for middle and high school students has two categories: Novice,
grades 6 through 9 and Expert, grades 10 through 12,
First place
winners in each category receive a $200 U.S. Savings Bond. Second place
winners are awarded a $100 U.S. Savings Bond.
Entries should arrive at the New Mexico State University IEE/WERC office any
time before 5:00 p.m. February 15, 2008.
For details on
the contest go to
www.werc.net
for this program and all other K-12 programs.
Grants and Loans
Recycling and Illegal Dumping Grants
The New
Mexico Environment Department announces the Recycling and Illegal Dumping
Grant, due April 2, 2008. Apply for funding for these projects: eliminating
or reducing illegal dump sites; developing education and prevention programs
for illegal dumping; or providing recycling infrastructure, education, or
market development. Recycling program priorities include recycling motor
oil, lead-acid batteries, cardboard, and newspaper. Municipalities,
counties, tribes, land grant communities, cooperative associations, and
solid waste authorities may apply. Find grant instructions and applications
online at
www.nmenv.state.nm.us/SWB/, or call Jill Holbert at the New Mexico
Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau at 505-827-0129.
Best Buy Recycling
Grants
Best Buy now offers grants to help increase
the recycling opportunities available in communities across the country.
Grants will range from $500 to $1,500, depending on the size of and scope of
the program hosted by nonprofit organizations, cities, counties, or
public-private partnerships. Click
here
to apply for a grant. Click
here
to see a list of Grant Recipients.
State
Loans
NMED
Constructions Programs Bureau offers low-interest loans for solid waste
projects:
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/cpb/rip.html .
EPA Pollution Reduction CARE Grant
The
2008 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency CARE Cooperative Agreement Request
for Proposals (RFP) is now available on-line at:
http://www.epa.gov/air/grants_funding.html#0802. This year the
application time line has been extended to 3 months and the deadline is
March 17, 2008.
The CARE website has additional information related to the CARE RFP,
including our upcoming Q&A Webcasts, so also visit:
http://www.epa.gov/CARE
Around $3 million will be available in 2008 to support community-based
partnerships to reduce pollution at the local level through the Community
Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. Applications for the CARE
grants are due March 17, 2008. Eligible applicants include county and local
governments, tribes, non-profit organizations and universities. EPA will
conduct three conference calls, Jan. 18, Feb. 11 and 27, for prospective
applicants to ask questions about the application process.
Regional Roundup
Santa Fe: Has
started weekly curbside collection service (increased from
twice a month).
Recycling Tidbits
National Geographic E-Waste
Article
National Geographic wrote an in-depth article in January
2008's magazine about international electronics recycling:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2008-01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text.html
Tap vs. Bottled–What Should You Drink?
http://food.yahoo.com/blog/beautyeats/22317/tap-vs-bottled-what-should-you-drink
Glug, glug, glug--that’s
the sound a ginormous number of us make as we sip bottled water in our cars,
at the gym, behind our desks.
The
sound you DON’T hear is the
thwack
of 60 million bottles a day being tossed into U.S. landfills, where they can
take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.
If
that’s not enough to turn your conscience a brighter shade of green, add
this: Producing those bottles burns through 1.5 million barrels of crude oil
annually--enough fuel to keep 100,000 cars running for a year. Recycling
helps but reusing is even better. Invest in a couple of portable,
dishwasher-safe, stainless steel bottles like
Klean Kanteens that won’t leach nasty chemicals into your water. (Don’t
get into the habit of refilling the water bottle you just emptied; the
polyethylene terephthalate it’s made of breaks down with multiple usings.)
4 REASONS TO TURN ON THE TAP
1. Tap water is tested daily
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, water suppliers are
required to provide an annual
report on the quality of your local water and to test tap water daily. By
comparison, the FDA examines bottled water only weekly, and consumers can’t
get the agency’s results. You can easily get the lowdown on your state’s
drinking water quality at
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/index.html
2. Tap water is a bargain
Bottled water costs about 500 times more than tap. If you’re into really
fancy labels, up to 1,000 times more.
3. Tap water is a tooth saver
It has more fluoride than bottled water, which helps prevent
tooth decay. (Yes, you never outgrow your need for fluoride.)
4. Tap water is often tasty
Some places (New York City for one) have delicious water, but if you don’t
love the flavor of yours, the solution is simple: Run your tap water through
a Brita or Pur filter to remove most tastes and odors. The average home
filter goes for $8.99 and produces the equivalent of 300 large (16.9 ounce)
bottles of water. That’s about $0.03 cents a bottle, versus the $1.25 or so
you’d pay in a market.
Calendar
**March 20, NMRC Board
Meeting, Rio Rancho. 11 AM - 4 PM. RSVP to
english@recyclenewmexico.com
**June 3-4, 2008 New Mexico
Recycling Conference, Albuquerque
|
Recycling and Composting Facility Operator Certification
Class Schedule for 2008.
Recycling Facility Operator Certification
Course
May 13-15, Grants
December 9-11, Santa Fe
Composting Facility Operator Certification
Course
April 15-17, Ruidoso
October 7-9, Albuquerque
To register, please go to
www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes.htm
|
If you have questions about any of the
above information or have articles for future Recycling
Scraps, please e-mail or call me.
English Bird
Executive
Director
New Mexico Recycling Coalition
PO Box 24364, Santa Fe, NM 87502
english@recyclenewmexico.com
(505)
983-4470
Fax (505)
466-6266
