“The Diversion Program of the Year Award goes to the South Central Solid Waste Authority,” announced Sarah Pierpont, Executive Director of the New Mexico Recycling Coalition (NMRC) during the June 7th Recycling Awards presentation in Albuquerque.
With the award, the NMRC awards committee recognized that since 2009 the SCSWA has accomplished excellence in diversion by implementing new recycling programs, adding services, educating residents, focusing on schools and being willing to serve as a leader and role-model for the state of New Mexico.
The SCSWA was recognized for:
● achieving a 24% diversion rate for the past 6 years;
● launching curbside recycling within the city of Las Cruces, providing more than 32,000 households with access to curbside recycling;
● providing access to recycling at 8 County Collection Centers to serve Doña Ana County residents;
● enrolling more than 250 local businesses in the commercial recycling program;
● collecting and processing more than 40,400 tons of household recyclables since 2011;
● providing more than 40 school campuses in all three school districts in Doña Ana County with single stream recycling access;
● launching a successful, sustainable glass recycling program that has diverted more than 1.2 million pounds of glass bottles and jars from the waste stream since April 2014 and provided free crushed glass for beneficial use by the community;
● launching a county-wide scrap tire shredding program that has diverted more than 60,000 pounds of shredded tires from the waste stream to the Doña Ana County International Jetport for beneficial use;
● annually hosting more than 50 community clean-up events throughout Doña Ana County;
● working collaboratively in 2017 to host the first Zero Waste Event in Las Cruces.
One of SCSWA’s key strengths is partnering with other agencies, building a consensus, and continuing to set - and accomplish - new goals. The SCSWA partners with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Solid Waste Bureau, NMED Health and Safety Bureau, NMRC, Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Doña Ana County, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Cities of Las Cruces, T-or-C, Sunland Park and Anthony.
Green Connections is submitted by the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA), managing recyclables and solid waste for residents and businesses in the City of Las Cruces and Doña Ana County. You can reach the SCSWA at (575) 528-3800 or visit www.scswa.net