A watchful neighborhood dog follows South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) employees checking blue bins placed curbside for pickup on Encino Avenue. The employees made it just before the Friedman Recycling truck arrived to empty the recycling bins.
“We’re doing another round of bin checks before the holidays,” explains Miguel Fernandez, SCSWA Recycling Services Administrator. “December tends to be a culprit for high recycling contamination and if we can remind residents with the ‘Thank You!’ tag when the contents of the bin are right, or ‘Oops!’ tag that explains recycling mistakes, we’re hoping to curb some of the trash contamination that ends up in the blue bins.”
Las Cruces continues encouraging recyclers to RECYCLE RIGHT: please,
- only recycle items shown on top of your blue curbside bin,
- be sure bottles and cans are empty, clean and dry.
- do not bag your recyclables; they should be loose in the bin.
The SCSWA aids in reminding residents with the boots-on-the-ground program called “Tug, Tip, Turn & Tag.”
Developed by national non-profit, The Recycling Partnership, the tags are hung on blue carts to alert customers when their recycling bin is full of contaminated products – either trash and food, or non-recyclable items. Bins that don’t pass muster will be tagged with an “Oops!” tag, turned (notifying the driver not to pick it up), and the recycling bin will not be emptied. Here’s what an inspector does:
Tug: An inspector gives the bin a quick tug. The bin should move easily as it should be light with items like clean pieces of cardboard and office paper along with empty and rinsed plastics and cans.
Tip: The inspector tips open the lid to see if there is anything amiss, looking for things like bagged recyclables, plastic bags, yard waste, food or liquids and “tanglers” that can mess up recycling equipment at the Friedman plant - hoses, wires, chains, and extension cords.
Turn: If anything is found amiss by the inspectors, they turn the bin around so it will not be picked up by the recycling truck.
Tag: The inspectors leave an “Oops!” tag and circle the reason why the city didn’t pick up the bin so residents to know what to leave out in the future.
“Many times, it’s just an accident,” said Fernandez. “Reminders like our tags help make residents more aware during a time of the year where that Amazon box will be a great recyclable item, but please no Styrofoam, wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, cards with glitter or foil, and no strings of burned out Christmas lights.”
Green Connections is submitted by the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) managing solid waste, recyclables, and working to stop illegal dumping for residents and businesses throughout Doña Ana County. Contact the SCSWA at (575) 528-3800 or visit www.SCSWA.net.