Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency Announces Television Recycling and Bicycle Reuse Pilot Programs

Residents and businesses in the City and County of Santa Fe can now safely recycle their televisions during the TV Recycling Pilot Program! The Agency’s electronic waste recycler, Natural Evolutions of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has expanded their take-back program and can now accept televisions for the same fee as other electronic waste.  Natural Evolutions is an “e-Stewards” certified e-waste recycler which means that all e-waste collected by them is processed and recycled in the U.S.  Televisions were previously not accepted for recycling at the BuRRT facility because they contain around 4 pounds of lead in each CRT, which makes them cost prohibitive to recycle.  The recycling fee is 50 cents per 20 pounds.

The Agency is also excited to announce the Bicycle Reuse Pilot Program in partnership with the Chainbreaker Collective, a nonprofit alternative transportation advocacy organization.  Bicycles and bike parts that are brought to BuRRT as scrap metal recycling will now be diverted to the Chainbreaker workshop where volunteers will teach community members in need of bicycles for transportation how to build their own bike.  Chainbreaker will accept any usable bike parts including seats, chains, frames, handlebars, and more unless they are deemed unsafe for reuse.

Tomás Rivera, Executive Director of the Chainbreaker Collective, expresses, “Chainbreaker is excited about this new partnership with the Agency.  Chainbreaker's bicycle recycling program has been in operation for 9 years. During that time, we have distributed nearly 1,500 bikes to people who would have otherwise been unable to afford transportation. That has conserved nearly 2 million gallons of gasoline, saving riders nearly $6 million and preventing almost 30,000 tons of CO₂ emissions from entering our air. This partnership will allow Chainbreaker continue to help people get where they need to go while preserving our natural resources and protecting our city's air quality.”

If you have a bike or bike parts you would like to donate directly to Chainbreaker, you can drop it off at their shop on 1515 Fifth Street on Sunday from noon to 4:00 pm or visit www.chainbreaker.org/brc for more information.

Residents and businesses can bring their electronic waste and bicycles to the Buckman Road Recycling & Transfer Station (BuRRT) facility 7 days a week from 8:00 am until 4:45 pm except holidays.  Visit www.santaferecycling.org for more information.

For more information about these pilot programs please contact Lisa Merrill; Education & Outreach Coordinator; 505.820.0208 x4420; lmerrill@sfswma.org.