ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – It’s a common problem the city is struggling to keep up with – people dumping their trash at neighborhood recycling sites – and it’s causing an overflow in some places. The busy recycling center at the Albertson’s parking lot near Holly and Ventura is a frequent spot for many looking to drop off large cardboard boxes and glass bottles.
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However, some avid recyclers say many have been using the site as a dumping ground, saying the site has turned into an eyesore. “It’s been like this for about three months. You just can’t put any cardboard in it. My son was just moving in and I had a lot of cardboard to throw in and it’s always like this.”
With bins overflowing, people who frequent the spot say it’s like a game of Tetris finding spots to put their recyclables. Even with eight dumpsters at the site, people say they quickly fill up. “After walking around for a little bit, I was able to find room for my stuff. It’s easier to put the glass in, but paper and all that stuff was [sic] a little bit more of a scavenger hunt trying to find a place to put it.”
The city’s Department of Solid Waste Management says the problem is too many people are using the recycling centers as dumping grounds. It’s the reason they just launched the online game ‘Know What to Throw’ which shows people what can and cannot be recycled.
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SWMD Director Matthew Whelan said in a press release Tuesday, “We wanted a fun and interactive way to get residents to test their knowledge and help them see what they’re doing right and what they might be doing wrong when it comes to recycling. We hope that everyone who plays this game walks away having learned something.”
With the interactive online game launching Tuesday, some recyclers say the city needs to do more. “It just needs to be emptied more often. Apparently, it gets used a lot, maybe it doesn’t even get used that much, it’s just people and they’re not getting emptied almost enough,” said one person. “I would say maybe put more bins but that would be harder, maybe more frequent trips here to empty these out because if it’s going to be like this it’s going to be overflowing.”
SWMD says crews empty out the bins daily, frequenting the recycling sites two to three times a day, but also say they encourage people to use their curbside recycling bins at home. The city closed down two recycling sites earlier this year, including one up in the heights near Juan Tabo and Candelaria that was also frequently overrun with boxes and trash. Since then, the city has added bins to other sites and reopened the recycling site at North Domingo Baca.
SWMD says the city has a 35% recycling contamination rate, meaning that the percentage of recyclables they collect is either garbage or not accepted for recycling to be recycled.
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