Gallup and Silver City Bring Back Plastics Recycling
Two
communities have brought back plastic recycling programs to their
communities. Both efforts were led by local citizen's organizations who
worked with either local government and the local recycling agency.
Silver City:
On a limited basis, the South West Solid Waste Authority (SWSWA) is now
taking Plastics (1 and 2 only) and glass again. This will occur only in
Silver City, under a new contract between the Authority and The City. The
City was willing to fund an additional approximately $15,000 to support the
collection of glass and plastics. Items are through the residential
curbside program only. Additionally they will make twice weekly runs to
businesses that generate large quantities of glass.
It is hoped
that the collection of glass will continue to spur local innovators
like Doug Lacy, who uses glass cullet in building projects. Silver City is investigating several
building projects that may make use of glass cullet. SWSWA will stockpile
the glass and make it available at no charge for these projects.
Gallup: The McKinley Citizen's Recycling
Council has worked directly with Gallup Recycling, owned and
managed by George Pollock, to accept plastics #1 and #2 for
recycling. A penny a pound will be paid to customers. This will
proceed on a trial basis to gauge participation and success. No glass is
currently collected at Gallup Recycling.
NMRC Board Meetings
The next two board meetings
are open to all NMRC Members. To attend, please RSVP to English Bird at
english@recyclenewmexico.com
1) September 22, 12-4 PM, Santa Fe, Buckman Road
Recycling & Transfer Station (BuRRt).
2) December 8-9, Noon to Noon, Sevilleta Refuge
Retreat.
NM Tire Recycling Grant Fund
Counties, municipalities and
cooperative associations may apply with the NM Environment Department at any
time for
tire grant funds to be used for purchasing recycled tire products (such as
ground rubber for playgrounds and athletic fields and tire bales) made from NM
tires, as well as for illegal dumpsite abatement, equipment purchases, recycling
facility construction and operations, tire bale or loose tire projects or
transportation.
Click here for the
Tire Grant Application.
For more information contact:
Toni J. Duggan, Tire Recycling Coordinator, NMED Solid Waste Bureau, Tel:(505)
827-0559
E-mail:
toni.duggan@state.nm.us
"Trashosaurus"
Composting Facility
Operator Certification Class - October 17-19, Albuquerque
There are still a few seats
left in the Composting Facility class. This is one of the most popular and
interesting classes offered in the Certification class series!
Register today at
www.recyclenewmexico.com/cert_classes.htm
to ensure your space in the class!
Santa Ana Pueblo
Environmental Fair - September 21
The 8th Annual
Environmental/Career Fair at Pueblo of Santa Ana invites nearby communities and
pueblos to attend this educational and networking event. Held from 9:00 AM -
2:30 PM on Thursday, September 21, youth and adults alike will enjoy educational
booths and talks about a variety of environmental topics. Greg Baker and Toni
Duggan from NM Environment Department will be on hand with their booth and to
present on Composting and Recycling. For more information contact Laura Pena at
771-6711.
Auto Recyclers
Receive Separate License Category
Reprinted from the Aug 18,
2006 edition of the Albuquerque Journal
"Recyclers Welcome New
Rules"
Journal Staff Writer
Most
Albuquerque auto recyclers welcome a new law requiring them to comply with
strict environmental rules. Sandy Blalock, owner of Capo's Auto and Truck Parts
of South Broadway, said she pushed for the law's passage because she felt too
many businesses were polluting the environment.
"You could have a major impact on your community," Blalock said.
She said hazardous materials like engine oil, transmission fluid and Freon
from air conditioning units are supposed to be handled in accordance with
federal guidelines, and some recycling yards had been avoiding those
requirements.
The heavily industrial south Broadway area in the South Valley is home to
most of the recyclers in the city.
The law, passed during the 2005 legislative session, created a separate
license category for auto recyclers.
Recyclers, which were called auto wreckers before the new law renamed them,
purchase wrecked or inoperable vehicles and sell the parts. They may also crush
the body and sell it as scrap metal.
In the past, recyclers, dealers, distributors and wholesalers all applied
for a single license distributed by the Motor Vehicles Division.
But because there was only one license, people could get an auto dealer
license, put a few cars out front to sell, and at the same time open up a
recycling yard in the back.
Connie Martinez, MVD's Dealer Licensing Bureau chief, said that enabled them
to get around some of the strict environmental regulations and avoid zoning and
fire inspections that apply to auto recyclers.
Sometimes auto recyclers sold cars although they were only licensed as
recyclers, according to Steve Silliman, manager of South Coors Truck Salvage and
president of the New Mexico Automotive Recyclers Association.
"There was a big loophole," said Mario Chavez, owner of Chavez Auto Parts.
Silliman said his group welcomes the change.
"It's a good thing in our opinion. It's two separate businesses, and there
should be two separate licenses," Silliman said.
New licenses
The new law, which went into effect Jan. 1, required any business engaged in
auto recycling to go through the permitting process with MVD, even if it was
already a licensed recycler.
That meant business owners had to prove they were bonded and in compliance
with all current federal environmental regulations and county zoning and fire
rules.
Martinez said so far this year about 23 Albuquerque auto recyclers have
completed their applications, which were due June 30, and received their new
licenses.
The rest, she said, are either pending or have been unable to get the
necessary clearances.
"I think it's a really good step," Martinez said. "We're well on our way to
dealing with a number of issues."
Chavez said his family has been in the auto salvage business since 1953. He
said he hired a consultant from El Paso to help him navigate EPA guidelines.
"It cost me money, but it was worth it to be up to date," Chavez said.
----Article continues----
Go to www.abqjournal.com to view the
complete article.
Albuquerque E-Waste Collection
Event Wildly Successful
The electronic waste collection event held on
August 19th in Albuquerque by sponsors Intel and Hewlett-Packard was so
successful the event had to be closed early due to such a high volume of
material received. In total, 17 trailers using 410 pallets of packaged
material at 227,802 pounds were collected from the event. The success is due in
part to KOAT-TV's co-sponsorship of the event and it's outreach efforts.
Past and Current Year Collection Stats for this Annual Collection
Event:
2006
Total
weight collected: 227,802 lbs
2005
Total
weight collected: 94,246 lbs
Vehicles
/ participants: 575
2004
Total
weight collected: 65,000 lbs
Vehicles
/ participants: 455
2003
Total
weight collected : 17,000 lbs
Vehicles
/ participation: 184
NMRC Board Member and Intel employee, O. Paul
Gallegos, volunteered for the August 19th E-Waste collection event at Cottonwood
Mall.
RAID Regulations Head to EIB on December
5th
On
August 21, 2006, the New Mexico Environment Department filed a request with the
Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) to be on their September 7, 2006, agenda
when we will ask for a hearing on the proposed Recycling and Illegal Dumping
(RAID) Act rules at EIB’s December 5, 2006, meeting. A copy of the RAID rules
provided to the EIB is located at
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swb/draftregs.htm.
NMED will publish a notice of the
public hearing in the State Register and Albuquerque Journal on Friday,
September 15, 2006. This notice will provide information on the venue, starting
time, and instructions on how to submit a notice of intent to provide technical
testimony at the EIB hearing, should you so choose. The EIB administrator is
Ms. Joyce Medina, 827-2425, or
joyce.medina@state.nm.us.
National Recycling Coalition Conference
- Oct 22-25 in Atlanta
The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) Congress is
THE place to hear about what folks are doing around the nation. The networking
opportunities and national vendors are an invaluable experience as well.
The New Mexico Recycling Coalition is pleased to
have English Bird serve as moderator for the "Rural Recycling: Bridging
Distances" session on Monday, October 23. This session will bring rural success
stories to light and lay out plans to re-invigorate the Rural Recycling Council
of the NRC. This council will be morphed under a new title, but as information
comes out and a national listserve is created, we will keep you posted on this.
English will also host a Networking Lunch Table to
discuss with folks about working with the local Department of Transportation on
the use of mulch on projects.
Click on
www.recyclingconference.org for the
latest updates on the conference and to register!
October 6 -
pre-registration deadline for faxed/mailed registrations
October 13 - online
pre-registration deadline
International
Asphalt Rubber Conference - October 25-27 in Palm Springs
The U.S Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 9 is cosponsoring the 2007 International Asphalt
Rubber Conference. This conference brings together international researchers on
the use and effectiveness of rubberized asphalt in different geographical
locations
and climatic zones. The conference is attended by International, Federal and
State Highway Administration leaders.
Rubberized asphalt is created by adding crumb rubber from recycled tires to
asphalt. The result is asphalt that requires less maintenance, lasts longer,
reduces noise pollution, creates an end market for recycled tires, and increases
visibility in wet weather.
The conference will be held October 25-27 in Palm Springs, California. For
registration information, please see the conference website:
http://www.ar2006.net/
Can Landfills Become Parks?
Excerpted from the Trust for Public Land's
website.
No one has tabulated all the parks and public
recreational sites created on old landfills. The Center for City Park Excellence
found at least 250, including Flushing Meadow in New York City, Millenium Park
in Boston, Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach, Virg. and Cesar Chavez Park in
Berkeley, California. In "From Dumps to Destinations," the Center for City Park
Excellence reviews the history and issues of converting of landfills to parks.
The article first appeared in Volume 18.1 of
Places journal and can be downloaded here as a PDF.
Recycling Tidbits
COLORADO COUNTY MRF WINS NATION'S FIRST GREEN
DESIGNATION
A materials recovery facility in Summit County,
Colo. is the first recycling plant in the nation
to receive "green" certification from the Green
Building Initiative. The Green Building
Initiative honored the facility under its
environmental assessment and ratings system when
the plant opened on Sept. 8. The
11,000-square-foot recycling plant is the first
in the nation to be built with green
technologies and certifications in its design.
CALIFORNIA HITS 50% RECYCLING GOAL
California state officials recently announced
attainment of its long-sought 50% recycling
goal. One they set out to conquer 17 years ago
with passage of Integrated Waste Management Act
in 1989, a time when many feared that landfill
space was running out. It mandated that
communities establish 50% diversion of all
recyclable waste by the year 2000. The state now
diverts about 52 percent of the 76 million tons
of municipal solid wastes (MSW) generated
annually. That represents significant progress
since 1990 when the state recycling rate was
just 10% and when only 35 curbside programs
existed in the state. There were widespread
cheers in 1994 when the state reached the 25%
mark but that was muted by claims that the
economic recession had more to do with it and
concerns over diminishing returns that might
prevent the state from ever reaching its
ultimate goal. Real progress began when more
businesses began to participate especially in
the construction sector where such wastes
account for 20% of the state's waste.
Determining how much waste is actually being
recycled is a delicate and controversial task.
The state uses a complex formula that takes into
account economic and demographic factors to
estimate how much waste would be dumped at
landfills without recycling and recently changed
its formula, resulting in a slight improvement
in the reported recycling rate.<Read
More>
SOLID WASTE INDUSTRY SEEKS TO EXPAND SENATE BILL
The solid waste industry seeks to expand
legislation pending before the U.S. Senate. On
July 13th Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT) introduced
the Recycling Investment Saves Energy (RISE)
Act, S. 3654. This act gives federal tax credits
to municipalities for the use and financing of
recycling equipment. In a letter to Jeffords,
the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)
expressed concern that RISE would not provide
incentive to federal tax-exempt municipalities
and suggested adding language to the bill that
would provide alternative financial incentives
to these government organizations.<Read
More>
Blacksburg, Va., Joins EPA Waste Reduction Program
Blacksburg, Va., has become the first municipality to join
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National
Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP). According
to an EPA press release, the partnership challenges
businesses and manufacturers to become more environmentally
aware and to adopt a resource conservation ethic that
results in less waste, more recycling and more
environmentally sound products. To read more, click on the
headline above.
Jobs
San Diego
County - Recycling Specialist
SALARY:$1,583.20-
$1,924.80 biweekly; $41,163.20 - $50,044.80 annually
JOB SUMMARY:
Assists higher level management in performing professional, analytical and
administrative work related to recycling aspects of San Diego County’s Solid
Waste Ordinance, and recycling policies and programs that enable, facilitate and
encourage conservation of solid waste materials and promote the use of
recycled/recyclable materials and products. Prepares grant applications,
analyzes legislation, and gives presentations, among other research duties.
REQUIREMENTS:
A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university;
AND, one (1) year of professional experience
performing duties in the development, implementation, and administration of a
private or public solid waste recycling program or non-burn resource recovery
program. ALSO
REQUIRED: A valid California
class C driver’s license or the ability to arrange transportation for field
travel is required at time of appointment and must be maintained throughout
employment in this class.
DEADLINE: 5:30 p.m., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2006
at 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 207, San Diego, CA 92101
HOW TO APPLY:
Employment applications can be accessed on-line from the Job/Current recruitment
section of the County of San Diego website at
http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov.
All required documentation must be submitted immediately with your application
in order to determine your eligibility to compete.
Coversheets with additional required documents may be faxed to the Department of
Human Resources at (619) 685-2458. You may also pick up and submit your
application, along with your attachments, to the Department of Human Resources
at the address listed above. For additional information or accommodations,
contact our job information line at (619) 236-2191.
RECRUITMENT NO. 06548108
Kauai County - Recycling Specialist
Job
opening for County of Kauai: Recycling Specialist II; starting $3,136/month.
Continuous recruitment until position is filled. A full job description is
available on our website at
www.kauai.gov
Follow the employment link and then the Recruitment and Examination link
and then Job Announcement link. For
more information please contact Diane Rosenkranz.
(808) 241-5112 phone or
drosenkranz@kauai.gov
Northeast
Recycling Council Project Manager
The Northeast Recycling
Council, Inc. (NERC), a not-for-profit membership organization, seeks a
Projects Manager for a permanent, salaried position in its Brattleboro, VT
office. This is a 35-hour per week position that provides a flexible
schedule and a competitive salary and benefits package. There is the
potential for this position to be based in a home office.
The position requires
management of substantive projects, including recycling markets research and
the environmental benefits calculator. Interfacing with the NERC Board and
Advisory Members, and responding to queries from the Board and public will
also be primary responsibilities in this position.
A full job description is available on the
NERC website and can be viewed from the NERC home page at
www.nerc.org
Applications should be emailed to
info@nerc.org
on or before September 22, 2006 and must include a cover letter, resume, and
contact information (email addresses and phone numbers) for three recent
employer references and one personal reference. No phone calls, please.
Mary Ann
Remolador, Assistant Director, Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. (NERC), 139
Main Street, Suite 401, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Calendar
**September 19, C&D Recycling
Task Force, 2:30-4 PM, Albuquerque. More info:
english@recyclenewmexico.com
**September 22, NMRC Board Meeting,
Santa Fe. 12-4 PM. All members welcome.
RSVP to English Bird
**October 13, Recycling
Alliance meeting. 9AM-Noon, Albuquerque. RSVP to
E. Gifford Stack at NMED at
e.gifford.stack@state.nm.us
**October
22-25, NRC Congress, Atlanta
**Dec 8-9, NMRC Board Retreat
at Sevilleta
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
