(Courtesy Photo) Ceremony Promoted Recycling: Tigerlilly Warner, under the umbrella, in front of the banner depicting what can be recycled, prepares to deliver her essay about recycling to Mimbres Valley residents that braved the rain on Saturday to learn about single stream recycling.

(Silver City, NM, 5 March, 2014) Thirty resolute recyclers showed up at the Mimbres Transfer Station during light rain showers on Saturday to unveil a banner that helps identify all the items that can be recycled. The celebration included the reading of an essay on Earth’s fragility and gaining hope through local action, written by fifth grader Tigerlilly Warner.

Residents of the Mimbres Valley community, led by Jamie Newton and Andrea Warner with support from the Mimbres Valley Health Action League (MVHAL), were instrumental in spearheading the project to make recycling easier at the transfer station. Southwest Solid Waste Authority, Grant County, the Town of Silver City Office of Sustainability and the Recycling Advisory Committee provided additional assistance.

Residents learned of the value of recycling from soon to be elected Silver City Mayor Michael Morones and Grant County Commission Chairman Brett Kasten. Participants applauded enthusiastically when Brett Kasten said that Grant County is a leader statewide in recycling, with about 20% of the waste stream being recycled. Terry Timme from the Office of Sustainability provided answers to the many questions about single stream recycling and left brochures with Mimbres Transfer Station attendant Frank Wade for people who could not attend the ceremony.

The brightly colored, weatherproof banner tells Mimbres Valley residents that a great many items people commonly send to the landfill can actually be recycled – milk cartons, junk mail, plastic food containers, small electronics, and much more. Single-stream recycling means there is no need to sort items, so it’s easy and convenient. Taxpayers will be glad to know that recycling saves public funds that can be used to meet other needs as landfill costs diminish.