Audit: Los Alamos recycling was 82.3% clean but carried 17.5% contamination, auditor says
Loading...
Summary
A material audit of Los Alamos County recycling found 46,653 pounds sampled with an 82.3% clean-recycling rate and roughly 8,200 pounds (about 17.5%) of residual contamination; auditors recommended targeted collection, public education and periodic re‑audits.
Adam Meyer, district manager for Barco Murph in Albuquerque, presented the results of a recycling-material audit of Los Alamos County conducted on Oct. 17, 2025, saying the two-truck sample weighed 46,653 pounds — about 23.33 tons — and returned an overall clean-recycling rate of 82.3%.
Meyer said the audit measured individual bale weights and the trash/residual stream and found roughly 8,200 pounds of contamination. "Los Alamos County brought in about 46,653 pounds of material that we audited at the facility," Meyer said. "Of that material, about 82.3% of it was actually clean recycling." He described remaining material as "contamination or as we call it residual or trash."
The audit shows fiber streams — cardboard and mixed paper — dominated recovered material and accounted for nearly 89% of the clean recyclables. Plastics and metals were present but represented a much smaller share. Presenters said there was no film or office-pack material recovered in this audit and noted the facility's optical sorter had been undergoing repairs during the sample, which may undercount some plastics.
Board members questioned the financial and operational impacts of contamination. "The easy answer is obviously the cost to landfill it," Meyer said when asked about disposal costs, adding tipping fees vary by facility "anywhere from, you know, $35 to a $100 a ton," and that labor, trucking and equipment raise the true cost. Paul Rugemont, the plant manager, described how film, single-use plastic bags, wires and holiday lights can wrap equipment, cause jams and require extended downtime and additional labor to clear.
Meyer and Rugemont recommended several next steps: optimize fiber capture and collection routes, improve signage and outreach to reduce contamination, explore targeted collection or dedicated bins for plastics, and continue periodic audits to track progress. "I would suggest that 6 months out that we do it again," Meyer said, adding that if results stabilize the county could move to annual auditing.
Presenters also gave a brief market update: recovered paper (OCC) prices have fallen from highs last year and remain volatile, while used beverage containers and scrap metal have stronger demand. They said most of the county's material currently moves to domestic processors and named Georgia-Pacific as a local buyer for OCC.
County staff and board members asked about glass and other streams; Meyer said he planned site visits to Denver-area processors to assess feasibility for adding glass processing. The presentation closed with the auditors offering to share a mapping of historical and current performance to show potential fiscal benefits from reduced contamination.
The board did not take immediate formal action on program changes; members discussed using the audit to shape education, enforcement and potential collection changes going forward.
