This indicator is part of Active citizen conservation.

Indicator description:                                                           

This indicator measures the degree to which Albuquerque residents sort their waste and divert portions of it to be recycled rather than disposed in the landfill. Recycling diversion rate is calculated by dividing the total tons of recyclable material collected by all non-commercial refuse and recycling material collected. Total tons of recyclable material includes curbside pick-ups and material collected at drop-off sites. The City of Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Department operates 18 recycling drop-off sites for citizens to deposit glass, paper, corrugated cardboard, plastic bottles, tin, and aluminum. Curbside collection is for residents while drop-off sites are for all citizens. Albuquerque’s recycling diversion rate is compared to other peer communities and to the mean of those jurisdictions with populations over 100,000 reporting their diversion rate to ICMA.

Why is this indicator relevant?

According to the EPA, every American generated an average of 4.6 pounds of municipal solid waste per day in 2006. These figures have risen every year since 1960. However, about 75 percent of what is found in the average garbage can is recyclable. Recycling is important because it helps conserve resources and lessens demands placed on the environment by waste disposal. When products are made using recovered rather than new materials, less energy is used during manufacturing and, consequently, fewer pollutants are emitted. Recycling also diverts materials from going in the landfill, which in turn extends landfill life (see Indicator 32.2). Albuquerque hopes to help residents divert more waste to be recycled, and encourage businesses to practice source reduction (in which materials are designed, manufactured, purchased or used in ways that reduce the amount or toxicity of trash created). As an example, since 1977, the weight of a 2-liter plastic soft drink bottle has been reduced from 68 grams to 51 grams. Source reduction also includes reusing items, which delays or avoids their entry into the waste stream.

Data Sources:
City of Albuquerque, Solid Waste Department, 2002-2008; International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Comparative Performance Measurement Report, FY 05-07; Environmental Protection Agency 2001, 2008

What can we tell from the data?

• The recycling diversion rate has grown from 6.1% in FY/02 to 7.4% in FY/08.
• Over the last 7 years, the diversion rate for material collected at drop-off sites increased 69%. In contrast, the diversion rate for curbside collection decreased 6%. There is no way to determine that only household residents are recycling at drop-off sites.
• In the last 3 years, the percentage of recyclable material to the total waste stream has increased from 5.1% to 5.9%. By comparison, recyclables were an average of 13% for jurisdictions with greater than 100,000 population.
• In FY/07, Albuquerque’s diversion rate of 5.9% was 69% less than Austin’s rate of 18.7%. Austin has a pay-as-you-throw program where residents pay a per-bag-of-garbage fee instead of a lump sum.

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