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New Mexico: Know What to Throw By Cassie McClure and Suzanne Michaels The South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA), in partnership with the New Mexico Recycling Coalition (NMRC) and the entire Rio Grande Recycling Corridor, has launched a statewide recycling education campaign geared to teach New Mexicans how to recycle right by urging them to “Know What to Throw.” “There are many misconceptions about what can and can’t be recycled, and a view that it’s complicated,” said Patrick Peck, SCSWA director. “Our goal is to set the record straight. Recycling right is simple, and with a few easy tips, every New Mexican can ensure they’reRead More →

Weren’t able to make it to our Recycling “Listening” Sessions?  We’ve got you covered.  View the presentations below.  Once looked through the presentations, please feel free to also take our curbside residential recycling survey here. Presentation:  Las Cruces Recycling Program Timeline A brief history of the growth of recycling to Las Cruces and Doña Ana county and where are we now.   Presentation: Recycling Collection and Processing System – What You Need to Know. Review of the three most common recycling collections system used for recycling programs.  Pros and cons of single stream recycling, dual stream recycling and drop-off center recycling. Presentation: Tracking Recyclable Material FlowRead More →

Recycling “Listening Sessions”  are here!  Join the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) for an evening of dialogue, questions and answers.  SCSWA will host two public meetings called “listening Sessions” to work with our community to develop what curbside residential recycling may look like for the next decade. Presentations will begin with possible future scenarios for Las Cruces; input from residents is encouraged, questions will be answered and attendees will be asked to complete a brief survey. Things to Know Community recycling programs across the U.S. are working hard to decrease contamination and increase the quality of recyclable materials. New options are being explored toRead More →

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Prescription drugs are controlled substances regulated by federal and state laws.  The DEA requirements for disposal of controlled substances shall not be construed as affecting or altering in any way the disposal of controlled substances through procedures in laws and regulations. Only law enforcement entities or entities deputized by the DEA and falling under the DEA’s law enforcement exception can accept prescription drugs for disposal. SCSWA  does not fall under the law enforcement exception and is not a law enforcement entity.  Therefore, SCSWA does NOT prescription drugs for take back.  However,  too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands. That’s dangerousRead More →

Have you ever wondered what the numbers, or recycling symbols mean at the bottom of plastic bottles and containers?  Well, the symbol doesn’t always mean that the item can be recycled.  The recycling symbol is often used interchangeably to show that an item: Is made from recycled-content. Can be recycled – but is dependent upon your city/county’s recycling guidelines. What exactly is a rigid plastic? Rigid plastics are known as any non-bottle plastic and often has a hard, non-pliable texture.  Rigid plastics also include non-durable plastics such as plastic tubs and cups.Read More →

Not everything that you collect for recycling has a market.  Keep in mind that recycling is like any other business and is driven by the economics of supply and demand.  Factors that impact the market include: manufacturer/mills demand for the material, proximity to manufactures and mills, their willingness to pay for the material,  etc.  Things that influence manufactures and mills demand is consumer demand for the product they make.  This is why it’s important to also buy products made from recycled material.  By buying products made from recycled content, we are closing the loop; therefore, creating the very market needed for the collection of materialsRead More →

Recycling in Las Cruces works. However, new quality standards have emerged and have drastically changed the rules of the game.  To meet the evolving changes to recycling, we re urging our processor, Friedman Recycling, to focus on domestic markets to process our recyclables.  Although, we have not banned much of the items we prviously listed as accpeted, we are strongly urging residents to remember the Fab 5 when they question what goes in the blue bins and dumpsters. What are the Fab 5? Corrugated Cardboard Not your Kleenex boxes, but your Amazon boxes. Is it sturdy and does it have ridges? These can be remadeRead More →

Why Recycle Aluminum Cans? Aluminum and tin recycling provides many environmental, economic and community benefits.  It saves energy, time, money and natural resources; and often it generates jobs and helps to pay for community services that make life better for millions of people. Recycling aluminum cans not only saves energy, but it also avoids the mining of new Bauxite ore used for aluminum production. Every year, recycling aluminum cans avoids nearly 5 percent of the world’s total mining of Bauxite – and that’s just from recycling aluminum cans. There is no limit to how many times aluminum can be recycled. That’s why recycling aluminum isRead More →

White printer paper, also known as High Grade Deinked Paper) is quality paper that consists of things like envelopes, copy paper and letterhead that has gone through the printing process and had the ink removed.  Paper makes up more than 50% of the waste that we consume annually, and we’ve certainly grown accustomed to recycling it and nearly 80% of paper mills use recycled paper in their processing. Recycling paper, like corrugated cardboard, PET #1 plastics and HDPE #2 plastics, paper has mature markets both domestically and internationally that makes recovering recycled paper beneficial. On an industrial scale, though, paper recycling allows us to saveRead More →