Silver City -- Beginning July 1, recycling trucks will no longer pick up residential or commercial recycling bins in Silver City, but recycling and garbage pick-up schedules and routes will remain the same until then, said James Marshall, assistant town manager. After July 1, garbage trucks will pick-up both green and blue garbage and recycling carts, and only cardboard will be accepted at recycling collection bins located at the Grant County Administration Center and in the Bealls parking lot, though aluminum and other scrap metal will continue to be accepted at the town landfill.

At the May 28th meeting of the Town Council, Town Manager Alex Brown explained that because the market for recyclable materials has essentially evaporated over the past few years, the town's recycling contractor, Southwest Solid Waste Authority (SWSWA), notified town officials that its landfill operator, Friedman Recycling of El Paso, will begin charging an additional $45 per ton to accept recyclable materials only to landfill them, at least in part due to contamination. Currently the town pays SWSWA nearly $211,000 annually for recycling collection downtown, processing and transportation. Given that landfill "tipping" fees are $48 per ton locally, the SWSWA contract is no longer cost effective.

"The hard truth is that we can no longer afford to send waste that used to be considered recyclable to El Paso, just so that they can dump it in their landfill," Brown said. "It's a very difficult situation, but one that is being faced by local governments all over the country. The United States simply hasn't invested in developing a viable market for these materials, and now that China and other countries aren't accepting them, there's nowhere for them to go."

When China's ban on some 24 types of plastic took effect last year, regional recycling distribution centers suddenly had no place to sell their materials, forcing them to shift increased costs to their customers, including local governments. Since 2017, China has banned more than 50 types of plastics, paper, scrap metals and other materials, causing a major disruption in the $5 billion U.S. recycling industry, and forcing many recycling centers to close.

Cardboard is one exception to the otherwise bleak recycling market, and Brown said the town will continue to recycle as much cardboard as possible. With regard to plastics, the recycling problem has been exacerbated in part by federal policies which reward petroleum manufacturers for continued investment in plastics technology, making it cheaper to purchase "virgin" plastics versus recycled, which are often rendered less attractive from a manufacturing perspective, due in part to cross contamination with other waste.

Brown said he is working with the New Mexico Recycling Coalition to help educate consumers about reducing consumption of non-recyclable materials and hopes to identify economic development funds to encourage local entrepreneurs to develop ways to turn recyclables into remanufactured products.

"Without markets for our recyclables, the best thing that we can do locally is reduce our waste," continued Brown. "We can do this as a local government, and we encourage residents to do the same. It's time that we look carefully at not only how much we consume, but also how the items that we buy are packaged. If we reduce our waste, we'll all save money in garbage collection costs and landfill fees."

The Silver City Town Council meets at 6 pm on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at the Grant County Administration Building, 1400 US Highway 180. For more information and to view the May 28th meeting, visit the Town's website at www.townofsilvercity.org.