The Solid Waste Management Department is committed to helping maintain a healthy environment for Albuquerque's current and future generations. Recycling helps keep disposal costs down while preserving natural resources and protecting the air, soil, and groundwater. Much of the more than 1,800 tons of trash generated by the city each day can be recycled.
The manufacturing of new products requires considerable energy. If these materials are reused or recycled instead of being disposed of at landfills, less energy will be used, saving on scarce resources. For example, the production of an aluminum can from recycled metal uses 95% less energy than a can produced from raw aluminum. For more information on the Three R's—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—call the Solid Waste Management Department at (505) 761-8100.
Recyclables are collected curbside at Albuquerque households, at recycling drop-off sites throughout the city, and at the city's Eagle Rock Convenience Center. But collection is only the first step in the recycling process. To close the loop, materials then need to be processed into a form that allows them to be converted into a reusable product.
Albuquerque's recyclables are processed for marketing and distribution at the Solid Waste Management Department's Intermediate Processing Facility (IPF). Located west of downtown Albuquerque near the Cerro Colorado Landfill, the IPF was the first of its kind in the state.
For a complete data base of all recycling locations visit New Mexico Recycling Coalition.
