Unified Action – April 2006 – Curbside Recycling

Curbside Recycling

Sponsors: Jeff Steinborn (phone: 635-5615), Bri Hines (phone: 541-5632)

The issue

Las Cruces has carried out two curbside recycling pilot programs in order to decide whether to initiate a curbside recycling program citywide. The first pilot program was less successful, having lacked any sustained education component, and convenience (being only a 2 times per month pick-up program). But the second weekly pick-up pilot program was a huge success and we are hoping that now the City Council will decide to permanently extend curbside recycling throughout the city.  The latest pilot had a participation rate of 40-70%, including the people who did not recycle every week, but participated somewhat regularly. 

Being the 2nd largest City in New Mexico, Las Cruces is lagging behind other NM cities in our waste management practices.  Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Silver City, and Mesilla ALL have curbside recycling programs.

What we are asking

Please call or write your City Councilor (or any one of them/all of them if you don’t know your district) and the Mayor and ask them to vote FOR a citywide curbside recycling program that includes:

• Must involve weekly pickups – increases participation by at least 50% over bi-weekly
• Pick up of everything currently recycled by the City of Las Cruces, including plastics
• Includes continuing education and clear instructions, so that citizens understand the importance of the program, and know how to use it
• If possible, please also attend the Council’s Work Session on May 8 (1 p.m., Las Cruces City Hall, 200 N. Church St.). No public input is allowed during this session, but your presence would help.
• You get a gold star if you can also attend the City Council’s regular meeting, which will probably take place in early June, but the date is not set yet. You can ask the Deputy City Clerk, Esther Martinez (emartinez@las-cruces.org), to put you on a mailing list to receive the agendas for the next City Council meetings. After the curbside meeting you can unsubscribe with her again.

Important Facts

Curbside recycling is good for Las Cruces:

• We would save hundreds of thousand of pounds of trash annually from going into our landfills every year, preventing both pollution, and saving our city money.
• More people will recycle.  Data shows a weekly curbside program to generate at least 50% more participation than a bi-weekly pick up program, and 90% more community participation than with just drop-off centers.  Our pilot program results proved that as well.
• Saves use of fossil fuels, natural resources, and energy needed to make new materials.
• Creates more supply for recycling markets.

People to be contacted

District 1	Jose Frietze	541-2066	josef@las-cruces.org
District 2	Dolores Connor	541-2066	dconnor@las-cruces.org
District 3	Dolores Archuleta	541-2066	darchuleta@las-cruces.org
District 4	Steve Trowbridge	541-2066	stevet@las-cruces.org
District 5	Gil Jones	541-2066	gjones@las-cruces.org
District 6	Ken Miyagishima	541-2066	kmiyagishima@las-cruces.org
Mayor	Bill Mattiace	541-2067	mayor@las-cruces.org
Letters can be sent to any of the above at PO Box 2000, Las Cruces, NM 88004. A phone call to the above numbers will eventually lead to the councilor’s or mayor’s voicemail, where you can leave a message. By selecting the email link above an email can be sent to each of the city council members; it is better to send each message individually rather than as part of a group mailing.

Please email “I did it” to unifiedaction@pva-nm.org
when you have completed this action.