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From the Solid Waste Management Authority

GREEN WASTE & TIRE AMNESTY EVENTS HELP CLEAN UP OUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

Santa Fe, NM – May 7, 2014 - On May 17 & 18, 2014, the Buckman Road Recycling and Transfers Station (BuRRT), operated by the Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency (Agency) will host additional amnesty events for green waste and tires only.

The Agency recognizes that excess vegetative materials, as well as tires, presents an opportunity to help Keep Santa Fe Beautiful and as such, we are providing additional days where there will be no charge for the disposal of these items at BuRRT. Participants are allowed to bring up to 8 tires for free. More than 8 (eight) tires will be charged accordingly.

Tires tend to be illegally dumped throughout the community even though residents can utilize BuRRT seven (7) days per week to dispose of them for a nominal fee ($2.00/passenger tire; $6.00/truck tire). Tires represent a hazard to the environment for several reasons. If the tires collect water inside them and then warm up in the sun, they become a very attractive breeding ground for mosquitoes. Similarly, if a pile of tires were to catch on fire, they must burn out and cannot be contained using conventional fire suppression means, which could lead to additional fires.

Similarly excess brush that has dried out or died is something that should be managed annually. This material, when it builds up, can easily catch fire during our very dry seasons and spread rapidly. By maintaining your vegetation and cleaning up the dried material, you reduce the potential for fires in the community.

All of the tires that are brought to BuRRT are recycled. They are currently processed by a company in Texas and remanufactured into crumb rubber which is a raw material for tires and other rubber products that are purchased by businesses nationwide.

All of the green waste collected by BuRRT is ground into mulch. This mulch is available free of charge to residents of the City & County when loading their vehicle by themselves. We also have the ability to load trailers for a small charge, during certain times of the week. Loading trailers requires an appointment so we encourage anyone interested in larger than truckload quantities to call us to arrange a time for loading the material.

For more information contact:

Adam Schlachter

Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency

aschlachter@sfswma.org

http://www.santaferecycling.org

(505) 795-1551