Los Alamos County Environmental Services Manager and Rotary Club guest Angelica Gurule recently described the Zero Waste Program, an effort to reduce local waste significantly and increase recycling and the wise use of resources. Gurule explained that County trash is taken to Rio Rancho, but that landfill is expected to close in about six years. In 2018, Los Alamos County produced 14,000 tons of trash costing about $500,000 for transportation and processing. Where China once purchased US recyclables, its processors no longer accept recyclables unless they are 99.95 percent free of contaminants; the US must pay China $16 per ton to accept it. Los Alamos contamination in recyclables is 17 percnt, New Mexico 20 percent and the US is 30 percent. The goal is 0.5 percent. Eighty-five percent of all Los Alamos households recycle. Photo by Linda Hull

County Environmental Services Office Specialist Sara Thurgood recently quizzed Rotarians about recyclable/non-recyclable household items. While office paper, phone books, foil, aluminum and steel cans, egg cartons, junk mail, newspapers, magazines, books and plastics #1-7 are recyclable in blue roll carts, styrofoam, glass, pizza boxes, chip bags, glass of any kind, and paper towels cannot be recycled in the blue roll carts. Glass bottles and jars can be recycled at Sullivan Field, the Eco Station, the Co-op and WR Overlook. Light bulbs, electronics and batteries can be recycled at the Eco Station; plastic bags from any business and bubble wrap can be recycled at Smith’s. For more information, call the Eco Station at 505.662.8163. Photo by Linda Hull

Los Alamos County Recycling Guide. Photo by Linda Hull