By Michele Robertson
The City of Carlsbad, with funding from Chevron, will conduct a cardboard recycling feasibility study over the next few months. Dave Yanke, President of NewGen Strategies and Solutions, presented an outline of the study to the Board of Solid Waste Commissioners and the City Council on Tuesday, November 12.
“NewGen is a 65-person utility financial consulting and planning firm that helps municipally owned utilities conduct cost-of-service and rate design studies as well as feasibility studies to help municipal utilities optimize their limited monies in the most cost-effective manner to serve their utility’s ratepayers,” said Yanke.
“This study, when completed, will provide a blueprint for how the city can most cost-effectively divert cardboard, and potentially other fiber-related materials (newspapers, catalogs, etc.), from the landfill to be reused in the manufacturing of new cardboard boxes, etc.,” he added.
Yanke said, “Before establishing a recycling program, it is important to estimate the volume and types of materials that a community expects to divert from landfills. Based on that forecast, the city can then determine the most cost-effective way to move those materials to an end market or processor that will move them to an end user that will use the recycled materials in the manufacturing of their product(s). Based on that financial analysis, the city can then determine how much the program will cost to operate (less any revenues from the sale of recyclables) and determine how to fund the annual cost of the program to ensure it is financially sustainable.”
The scope of services to be performed consists of seven tasks: first, project initiation, presentation, and site visit; second, to estimate the cardboard stream; third, evaluate partnership opportunities; fourth, the evaluation of potential recycling infrastructure; fifth, a collection and hauling cost evaluation; then the financial evaluation; and finally the report and presentation of findings. The time estimated for study completion is between four and six months, with the Chevron donation of $100,000 funding the project.
In a press release from the City of Carlsbad, Mayor Rick Lopez expressed his gratitude: “We are incredibly thankful to Chevron for their generous donation. This study is crucial to making Carlsbad a greener and more sustainable city here in southeast New Mexico. By exploring the potential of a cardboard recycling operation, we aim to reduce landfill waste and create economic opportunities for our residents.”
City Councilor and Beautification Coordinator Mary Garwood expressed that she is excited to see this partnership with industry come to fruition since the City’s former recycling contractor, CARC, INC. Rainbow Recycling, ceased its operations in 2016. “It’s important for the City to take educated planning steps at this time so that we can make the most effective strategic plan possible. The last thing the city wants to do is have to pull the plug on an arbitrary recycling approach. We want a solid plan to build into our standard operations. Recycling what we can is the right thing to do, and our citizens have made it clear they want that opportunity back,” the release stated.
In the press release, Janelle Lewis, Environmental Process Manager at Chevron, stated, “Chevron is committed to contributing to sustainable and economically viable initiatives. This study will be instrumental in determining the feasibility of creating a recycling facility dedicated to processing cardboard waste.” Lewis added, “We are excited about the potential benefits this project could bring to Carlsbad and its residents.”
Beverly Allen, Chevron’s Public and Government Affairs Advisor, also commented in the press release on the company’s involvement. “Chevron is proud to support the City of Carlsbad in this important endeavor. Investing in sustainable projects like this aligns with our commitment to environmental responsibility and economic development in the communities where we operate. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of this study.”
To learn more about NewGen, visit their website at www.newgenstrategies.net
or email Dave Yanke at dyanke@newgenstrategies.net. For more information on the study, contact the City of Carlsbad Mayor’s office at (575) 887-1191 or email mayor.office@cityofcarlsbadnm.com.
Editor’s note: the full press release is provided on Page 2. Author Robertson serves on the Board of Solid Waste Commissioners.
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