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Let's cut to the dollars and business sense of business recycling: "It costs $30 a month for a 6-cubic-yard recycling container and once-a-week pickups, versus $92.01 a month for a 6-cubic-yard trash/garbage container and once-a-week pickups," says Bonnie Tafoya, recycling coordinator at the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA). If you need twice-a-week trash pickups or more often, it costs more. Divert the recyclables out of your trash, reduce your trash ... and save money.
Mountain View Market Co-Op (Idaho Crossing shopping center, 1300 El Paseo Road) has understood the wisdom of recycling for years. Not only do they save money, but ... Mo Valko, outreach and growers market coordinator at Mountain View Market Co-Op, says, "One of the principles of the Co-Op is the triple bottom line: people-planet-profit. We like to practice what we preach... and recycle."
"We've been recycling officially with a container since 2007, but we've done it unofficially longer. We recycle as much as we can in-store, but the container outside makes it so much easier. It's just like taking out the garbage!" says Valko.
What makes Mountain View Market stand out is that it's a store effort. "It's not just one employee doing all the recycling, we have monthly duties in which everyone does their part. We sign up for each month," says Valko. "After a while it becomes a habit ... and then, you're more likely to recycle at home, too.
"We recycle register receipts, paper, aluminum and
Getting recyclables has never been a problem for Mountain View Market Co-Op. It was managing them that was the problem.
"We've always produced a lot of recyclables and we had an overflow problem, but now with the SCSWA container we get them picked up very often," says Valko. Katherine Teksten at Mountain View Market Co-Op also agrees. "They have been very flexible and helpful when it comes to scheduling our pickups," she said.
What recycles
•Items that can be recycled in the business containers are the same as those at the drop off sites: office paper (color or white), newspaper and inserts, junk mail, phonebooks, catalogues, magazines, all kinds of cardboard, plastic bottles No. 1 and No. 2, aluminum and tin cans. (Shredded paper can also be recycled, but please place it inside a clear plastic bag so it doesn't blow around. This is the only item that is accepted inside a bag - everything else should be loose for easy sorting.)
What does not recycle
•Trash - such as food, anything that is food-contaminated, wrappers and paper towels; bubble wrap, styrofoam peanuts, plastic grocery and trash bags, post-it-notes, non-water soluble adhesives like glues, tapes, pressure sensitive labels, peel-and-stick labels and wax/plastic coated papers (ream wrappers). Basically, anything that is not on the single stream-recycling list does not fly either in the business recycling containers and will be considered trash at the sorting process.
"More than 200 businesses are avid recyclers right now in Las Cruces," says Bonnie Tafoya, "and we're looking for more." You can reach Bonnie at 528-3800 to order your own big blue recycling bin and for more information.
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 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.
