The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and New Mexico Recycling Coalition (NMRC) hosted a 3-day Recycling Facility Operator Certification Course in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, in mid-December. Recycling professionals from the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) in Las Cruces attended, as well as those from as far away as Clovis, Angel Fire and Navajo Nation. Thirty-two attendees plus speakers and trainers gathered in T-or-C to learn best practices on safely and sustainably operating recycling programs.

T-or-C was an ideal centralized location to not only recertify for the year, but a way for those in the recycling industry to hear how other communities are managing recycling in challenging times. “With China having closed its borders to recycling, now it’s up to us at a state-level to keep our programs healthy and growing,” said Miguel Fernandez, South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) Recycling Services administrator. “We learn from others, and smaller towns can see what Las Cruces is doing to keep its recycling contamination low, meaning no food waste and only taking high-quality recyclables like clean and dry corrugated cardboard. As a part of the Rio Grande Recycling Corridor, the SCSWA wants to be a model for other communities that are looking for innovation in their recycling programs.”

To read the full story, visit https://www.krwg.org/post/new-mexicos-statewide-training-behind-recycling-programs.
Author: Cassie McClure and Suzanne Michaels for SCSW, KRWG Public Media
Photo: KRWG Public Media

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