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Another instant winner, Waynette Bridges says, "Recycling is good for the environment and it's good for me!"

No glass! Remember, glass is not part of the recycling mix we can take at the blue bin drop off sites!

Why not?

1) Glass is breakable, making it a danger to those handling it, and potentially damaging our local recycling equipment, literally bringing it to a grinding halt;

2) Glass is heavy... therefore, expensive to transport to glass processors;

3) Glass is made of silica (or sand) and various minerals that provide color, so it's relatively cheap to produce, while it's difficult to find a sustainable local market for reuse.

The South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) is searching for a local solution that may include crushing glass for local use, but for now we are not taking glass.

(However, Target Stores nationwide are accepting glass at their recycling bins inside the stores. From the Las Cruces Target, the glass is hauled to a glass recycler in Phoenix. The glass travels in Target distribution trucks that would otherwise go back empty.)

Recycling could be your ticket to Las Vegas or San Diego, with "Get Caught Recycling!" the three-month campaign SCSWA is hosting with the New Mexico Recycling Coalition (NMRC) to reward recyclers all over Las Cruces and the Do-a Ana County with instant prizes. All you have to do is recycle.

The latest location to "Get Caught" was Sam's Club. Recyclers say the Sam's drop-off site is one of the busiest locations in all of Las Cruces, so we were not surprised to see more than 40 cars stop by last Friday morning in

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less than two hours. David Beatson was an instant winner, saying: "I come over here every Friday to buy food" at Sam's, "so I dump off my recyclables right then."

"We recycle because it's the right thing to do," said Roger McCandress.

And Waynette Bridges agrees recycling is the right choice. "It's good for the environment and it's good for me," she said.

At the Sam's drop-off, we found parents teaching their children the value of recycling. "Our children come with us whenever we recycle... they get very excited," said Nick Banales.

Other prize winners were also excited to catch the "Get Caught Recycling!" fever. Recycling is already part of their weekly routine and now they get an extra reward for doing it.

"I recycle out of habit," said Ralph Troeller who is an active recycler in the community.

"Get Caught Recycling!" is not the only SCSWA program he has participated in. "I've gone to the E-Scrap event the last two times." he said, using that opportunity to recycle old computer parts.

Businesses that would like to support "Get Caught Recycling!" are invited to call the SCSWA at (575) 528-3800 for more information. Every donation is tax-deductible.

Thank you for recycling! If you have recycling questions, please visit our website at TheScrappyPages.com or call the SCSWA at (575) 528-3800

Recycling Connections is submitted by Suzanne Michaels, Education and Public Outreach, for the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) named 2010 Solid Waste Authority of the Year by the New Mexico Recycling Coalition. The SCSWA is the city/county agency responsible for managing solid waste and recycling in Las Cruces and Do-a Ana County.