<\/p>\n
Montezuma County\u2019s plan to become a regional recycling hub took a step forward this week.<\/p>\n
As part of a reorganization, the county landfill is switching from a system that bales and stacks trash to one that loads and compacts garbage in cells.<\/p>\n
To get there, the county purchased a 2015 BOMAG 473 compactor for $473,000. Landfill manager Shak Powers received delivery of the hulking, bright-yellow machine this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re training on it now, and everyone is certified to operate it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A new compaction permit from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment is expected soon.<\/p>\n
The compaction system frees up the baler and warehouse tipping floor, which will now be used exclusively for recycling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe county wants to increase recycling here by 40 percent,\u201d Powers said. \u201cWe\u2019re already a regional landfill, why not become a regional recycling center?\u201d<\/p>\n
The recycling business is complicated, but the landfill\u2019s large baling facility and expansive acreage makes it possible to process and store recyclables before they go to market.<\/p>\n
The baling warehouse, also called the tipping floor because that is where material is dumped, will be divided into three sections: paper, cardboard and single-stream recycling.<\/p>\n
When the market is good, the material is sold to a processing facility. Cardboard for example goes for $90 per ton. The landfill already processes recycling for the city of Cortez and the Four Corners Recycling Initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecycling adds life expectancy to the landfill, and the products are made into something useful instead of being forever buried,\u201d Powers said.<\/p>\n
The county is pushing for garbage haulers to offer their customers bins for single-stream recycling.<\/p>\n
In a single-stream system, recyclables such as aluminum, tin, and corrugated cardboard are mixed into one bin. Glass must be stored separately.<\/p>\n
The convenience of single-stream could attract more users, because participants wouldn\u2019t be required to separate most of their recyclables.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith single-stream, you could increase participation by 30-35 percent,\u201d said David Johnson, district manager for Waste Management. \u201cSome recycle to recycle; others will only do it if it\u2019s convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cortez garbage service already offers source-separated recycling, with different bins for each product. County residents served by Baker Sanitation and Waste Management have requested single-stream recycling in the county. Those companies are negotiating with the county landfill on tipping costs to drop off single stream.<\/p>\n
The county would then bale, store and sell it to a Materials Reclamation Facility, which separates it and sells off the different types of material.<\/p>\n
The county emphasized that current recycling systems, including those by Cortez and Four Corners Recycling Initiative, won\u2019t be affected.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey would stay the same, but we\u2019re interested in doing more,\u201d said county commissioner Larry Don Suckla.<\/p>\n
Volume and public education are key components for making single-stream recycling successful. It only goes for around $2 per ton, so you need to bale a lot of it. And participants must be educated on what can go into a single stream bin. If there is contamination, the whole load is dumped in the landfill and wasted.<\/p>\n
As for the compaction system, fresh garbage is basically run over by the 60,000-pound specialized compaction machine crushing into a smaller volume. As with the baling system, a layer of soil is added at the end of every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more efficient, and takes less labor,\u201d Powers said, adding that when wind speeds exceed 40 mph, operations are suspended.<\/p>\n