A while back I heard a statistic that only 2% of Las Vegas recycles. So, 2% of 591,000 in Las Vegas (as of 2000 census, more now for sure) would equal almost 12,000 people. Now is that Las Vegas proper, or Clark County? Clark County boasts almost 2 million folks, which would work out to 40k recyclers... Sounds like a lot, but compared to the rest of the nation - it stinks.
How do we improve our horrendous record? Well, the government of Our Fair City is working on this. The Southern Nevada Recycling Advisory Committee has been charged with the task of increasing recycling from our pathetic "less than 5%" to the EPA's recommended 35% (by when?) . So far they have developed a pilot program that is anticipated to take effect in late 2008, and will start by reducing tr
ash pickup from two days a week to just one. They have other plans as well but this is at the top of the list. Now I don't have a problem with this because we barely have enough trash to put out the can once a week, but apparently some folks are up in arms about it. Judging from the amount of trash created by our neighbors, I guess I get it. The reduction in trash pickup is supposed to encourage recycling, without increasing our costs. The photo is of a new brand of recycling bin, possibly something we will see in Las Vegas in the future.
For the time being, if you want to recycle in Las Vegas, call Repubic Services and ask them to drop off a set of the standard red, white, and blue recycling bins. There is no charge for the bins or for the service, and you should get a letter that outlines what you can recycle and your day of pick-up, which will be every two weeks. Call Republic Services at 702-735-5151.
Currently Republic Services accepts the following recyclables:
- aluminum & tin
- #1 & #2 plastics
- paper
- glass
- corrugated cardboard
- motor oil
Unfortunately #1 & #2 plastics don't account for much of the plastic out there, so I've been trying to favor glass or paper over plastic.
A Few Other Local Resources - there are a lot of recycling centers in Las Vegas, do a search for "recycling centers" or "recycling services" in the Yellow Pages. Here are a few -
Abbies Recycling Center - all kinds of metals: copper, tin, aluminum, iron, etc. And they pay you for it. My friend got $8 for a broken rim from his truck. 6351 Vegas Valley. 702-457-8077
Nevada Recycling - paper, metals, plastics, e-waste, and again, they pay you for it. How cool is that? They also provide commercial/business waste solutions. 4420 Mitchell St. NLV 702-643-2218
Roadrunner Anti-Freeze Recycling 702-293-5360
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