The Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Market Street is just one example of a business that takes items that might otherwise have been discarded in the landfill and recycles, reuses or repurposes them. Other examples of recycling businesses in New Mexico will be discussed at a Small Business Development workshop at Watts Hall Wednesday May 6 at 3:00.   (Courtesy photo)

(Silver City, NM, 4 May, 2015) A workshop titled "Growing Recycling Businesses in New Mexico" will be presented at the Small Business Development Center at Watts Hall on May 6 from 3:00-4:30. The workshop is free and open to everyone. It will be especially interesting for anyone considering starting or expanding a recycling- or reuse-related business in New Mexico. The goal of the workshop is to assist the development and support the growth of businesses that manage or utilize locally generated materials that can be recycled, reused or repurposed.

In 2010 alone New Mexicans spent over $51 million dollars to bury in landfills materials worth over $168 million that could have been recycled or reused. The New Mexico Recycling Coalition (NMRC) is interested in capitalizing on this waste while reducing the amount of materials entering landfills in New Mexico.

A study by NMRC in 2013 concluded that if New Mexico increased the recycling rate to the national average of 34%, it would create 9,318 new direct, indirect and induced jobs. Statewide the recycling rate is about 14%. The most recent data for Silver City indicates a recycling rate of 27%.

NMRC recently received a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant that targets 14 rural communities for these workshops, including Silver City. NMRC utilized its extensive knowledge of the recycling and solid waste landscape in New Mexico to develop 12 business idea templates outlining actual businesses that can readily be launched as either new or expanded enterprises. In partnership with local business counselors, they can help you identify sources of material, coordinate activities with local solid waste departments, determine customer selling points, understand equipment requirements, and more.

This workshop is sponsored locally by the Small Business Development Center, The Silver City / Grant County Chamber of Commerce, the Southwest New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Silver City Office of Sustainability. For more information contact Linda McArthur at 538-6320, or email sbdc@wnmu.edu.