© 2024 KRWG
News that Matters.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Las Cruces: Let's Clean Up Our Recycling Containers

Over the past year, it’s likely that recycling may not have been a priority. However, you might have had plenty of Amazon boxes that ending up in your blue bin. But, did Styrofoam from curbside pickup or a greasy pizza box end up there too? That’s contamination that decreases the quality of our recycling, and it’s a problem that takes everyone to solve.

 

Our desert home is not a wasteland, but a balanced ecosystem that can be disrupted. Recycling is a crucial part of ensuring environmental sustainability. “It’s one piece of the waste management puzzle, not a cure-all program,” Patrick Peck, director of South Central Solid Waste Authority, said.

 

While landfills are a part of the waste management process, they are not ideal. “We know that burying all trash is not the way of the future,” Peck said. “There are issues with landfills creating greenhouse gases and microplastics.

 

‘Every piece of recyclable plastic we can remove from an inert process in the landfill – and instead captured to be reused – is part of being responsible with our environmental stewardship,” Peck said.

 

More than ever, it’s up to everybody to double-check what goes into their blue bin: are your items on the acceptable list? Check www.SCSWA.net to be sure you know what’s recyclable. Is what you’re throwing in clean, dry, and free of food contamination?

 

Double-check that plastic bottles (and rigid plastics); aluminum, steel, and tin cans; and milk and juice cartons are rinsed and dry. Just one swish of water in a milk jug is all we need. Make sure cardboard is flattened.

 

End users — individuals or businesses repurposing what you recycle — must have the cleanest recycled material possible to rework it into its next life cycle. Home and business recyclers can bump up the quality in their blue bins: Be mindful. You are recycling materials to be made into something new and clean recyclables are critical.

 

 

Residents are reminded to follow the guidance on their blue bins for a statewide initiative called “Know What to Throw.” Quick tips include:

 

·         Do not bag recyclables

·         Recyclables must be clean, dry, and loose in the blue bin

·         No cords

·         No electronic waste

·         No Styrofoam

·         No food waste that can ruin an entire load of recyclables

 

South Central Solid Waste Authority manages solid waste and recyclables for residents and businesses throughout Dona Ana County. Contact SCSWA at (575) 528-3800 or visit www.SCSWA.net.