The east side recycling collection area adjacent to the Old Foothills Landfill, 555 Sonoma Ranch Blvd, will soon have a new look and new hours. Coming up next month, the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) will construct a fence around the Recycling Yard which will then be open only the same hours as the Landfill.
NEW RECYCLE YARD HOURS AT OLD FOOTHILLS LANDFILL
Monday to Friday - 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sundays – CLOSED
“Unfortunately, this is a direct result of continued contamination and illegal dumping at the site,” explained Tarkeysha Burton, SCSWA Education and Outreach Coordinator. “For the last several years, many have used the recycling yard as an illegal dump site. Often, the material that’s being dumped also poses a health and safety risk for both the public and SCSWA staff which manages and maintains the site.”
SCSWA staff had been servicing the site twice a day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but with more illegal dumping, they’ve tried to stem the problem by adding an additional container. That only resulted in more illegally dumped trash daily.
Items ranged from old mattresses to ratty couches and televisions and leaky car batteries. It’s especially items like these that make a cleanup job exponentially more dangerous for SCSWA staff. The City runs the Landfill, so its staff will be able to keep an eye on the adjacent recycling area between the pickups by SCSWA crew.
“Our concern is keeping residents safe when they are proactive in recycling large amounts of material like corrugated cardboard from the holiday online shopping sprees,” said Patrick L Peck, director of SCSWA. “If those residents face potential hazards, they will understandably be less likely to recycle and what could have been saved will end up at the landfill. It’s our job to institute a system that continues the recycling process and is safe for residents.”
Green Connections is submitted by the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) managing solid waste and recyclables for residents and businesses throughout Doña Ana County. Contact the SCSWA at (575) 528-3800 or visit www.SCSWA.net.