Albuquerque, New Mexico, considers discontinuation of park recycling bins

Test bins at Tiguex Park did not receive enough material to justify project, city's Solid Waste Management Department says.

The city administration of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is advising against the expansion of a public parks recycling program, KRQE News 13 reports.

Ten recycling bins were placed in Tigeux Park in August to test the possibility of expanding to other city parks, according to the news report.

“These can be all over the city of Albuquerque and this is a great place to start with it here,” said Mayor R.J. Berry at a news conference for the project’s implementation.

According to a city analysis, the bins collected 360  pounds of recyclables from August 2015 through December 2015. This was not enough to justify the approximately $5,000 in yearly labor costs for the park, which led the report to advising against expanding the project.

“We just didn’t get quite enough material to make it as viable as we wanted it to be,” Lise Gorgone of Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Management Department told the news channel.

She added the program has not ended yet and the city is still determining its next steps.