Santa Fe Works On Commercial Recycling Awareness

If you’re lucky enough to be on the city of Santa Fe’s news release email list, you might have noticed the blitz of information (two notices!) this week about commercial recycling.

It seems the city is offering a free training Thursday (4 p.m. at the Lucky Bean Coffee Shop at Sanbusco Center) on how local businesses can reduce waste and expand recycling. The city also acknowledged that the New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a “NM Businesses Recycle” program to recognize businesses that recycle.

Solid efforts. And it’s a good thing the city is trying to publicize them. I attended a meeting last week of the city’s advisory Business and Quality of Life Committee during which several people were clearly under the impression the city doesn’t have a commercial recycling program at all – including a local business owner who sits on the Business and Quality of Life Committee.

Now, Santa Fe historically has had abysmal recycling rates, but these were smart, informed people. Heck, they cared enough to attend an early morning weekday meeting to talk about how the city scan reduce disposable bag use.

I know Environmental Services leadership has been trying to raise awareness about the division’s programs. But Santa Fe isn’t that big a town, and the city has resources for this – among other things, Environmental Services has a dedicated “community relations” employee who’s job it is to promote recycling.

Why is success so slow in coming?