EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The City of El Paso’s Environmental Services reminds us of what to throw away and what we can recycle.
With an estimate of 500 containers collected throughout the far east neighborhoods, solid waste truck driver Leonard Martinez says they want residents to make sure their trash bins are fully closed to provide more room for landfills.
Martinez says when residents don’t follow the guidelines, it slows them down. This is why garbage trucks comes by at a later time due to them driving back to empty out the truck.
“With every can that’s dumped, there’s a trash compactor that is constantly pushing it forward to the front of the truck. Constantly making room for the rest of the trash,” Martinez said.
According to Environmental Services, the land field receives 2,000 tons of trash a day at the 600 acres Greater El Paso Landfill which is 100 feet deep.
“We cover with different types of compactions. About 3 ft. of dirt, to different densities, and then we cover that with Geo-membranes” said City of El Paso Environmental Services Operations Manager Cristian Benitez.
This makes room for more trash and less contamination for recycling, which is now at 24.6% compares to last year at 28%, according to ESD.
“So we don’t have to open another landfill, the more we have the community participate in recycling the better chance we have to not open another landfill,” said City of El Paso City, ESD Recycle Division Supervisor Myrna Workman.
To learn more about environmental services and recycling, click here.
Workman says anything that is recyclable but has food residue will go in the trash bin. Here is a list to distinguish what can go in the right bins.
Recycling bins:
- News Papers
- Magazines
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Aluminum
- Steel cans
- Plastic bottles
- Jugs marked #1 and #2
Trash bins:
- Clothing
- Plastic bags
- Styrofoam
- Yard waste
- Food
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