Plastic

Did you know…?

It is estimated that 75 to 199 million tons of plastic are currently in our oceans.
Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
At 12%, plastic makes up just as much of our municipal solid waste as cardboard. This 12% only accounts for the plastic that is safely disposed of in a landfill, not the millions of tons floating in the ocean or sitting on roadsides.
While plastics production has steadily increased since the 1950s, approximately 9% of plastic bottles are currently recycled.
In the last 40 years, paper, glass, and metal packaging has been shifted to plastic. The urgency of recycling increases as plastic manufacturing grows. Fossil fuels and added chemicals in plastic leave harmful imprints on the environment and human health. It is more important than ever to reduce plastic’s impact by decreasing it at the source or by recycling it.
The plastics industry clearly states that the current demand for plastic scrap far outweighs the supply.

What Are Plastics?

Plastic is one of many high-polymeric substances, including both natural and synthetic products, except rubbers. At some stage in its manufacture, every plastic is capable of flowing, under heat and pressure if necessary, into the desired final shape. Unlike with fibers, there are no industry-accepted specifications, creating confusion in the marketplace.

Why Are Only #1 and #2 Plastics Commonly Recycled?

The short answer is that there are no stable markets for plastics beyond #1 and #2. The majority of plastics numbered 3-7 have very limited markets.

Can #1 and #2 Tubs or Packaging Be Collected With Bottles?

Although plastic bottles and tubs or packaging might have the same number inside their recycling symbols, they do not consist of identical material. Tubs and thermoforms are produced with different molding processes than bottles, which require different plastic mixtures and melt at different temperatures. Nevertheless, to keep plastic out of the landfill, Taos plans to accept all #1 and #2 plastic.

*NM Recycling Resource Kit, Version 4.0 Recyclenewmexico.com/resources/

Recycling Plastic in Taos County

Taos County successfully submitted a grant to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to implement plastic recycling in 2023.

PLASTIC Todd Wynward, Director of TiLT, Doug Eichelberger, Archetect, and the Repurposing Plastic wa

Doug Eichelberger, Architect, and Todd Wynward, TiLT, at the Repurposing Plastic site in Questa

Taos County Transfer Stations will start collecting #1 and #2 plastics by summer 2024. A new baler to crush plastic, aluminum cans, and steel cans is installed at the Solid Waste Operations Center in El Prado.
Taos County will be installing 20 recycling receptacles for plastic bottles and aluminum cans this summer.
A REUSE shed made of recycled plastic at the Los Cordovas Road Transfer Station will be operating by fall.
Informational flyers with QR codes to access more recycling information on this website will be included in Taos County Solid Waste invoices starting October 2024.
Recycling pages are now up on the county website! (https://taoscounty.org/465/Recycling)

Watch for local announcements as projects are complete!

Recycle #3-#7

The Repurposing Plastics Project (RPP) in Taos and Questa accepts clean plastic for use in building modular walls for yard projects, such as garden walls, bancos, and sheds. Residential rates are $5/month, and commercial rates are also available. RPP builds walls with this space-age building material and keeps plastic out of the landfill! https://www.repurposingplastictaos.com/