The New Mexico Environment Department has renamed its Solid Waste Bureau to the Resource Recovery Bureau (RRB). This change, which includes a new logo, aims to reflect the bureau's role in promoting sustainable materials management and supporting a circular economy. The bureau will continue to regulate landfills and solid waste facilities while also managing programs related to waste reduction, recycling, composting, and resource conservation.
Shirlene Sitton, chief of the Resource Recovery Bureau, said, "Our new name properly reflects the bureau’s innovative approach to solid waste management that’s at the core of NMED’s mission." She emphasized the importance of focusing on sustainable materials management in response to changes within the solid waste community.
The Resource Recovery Bureau will maintain all previous functions of the Solid Waste Bureau. These include overseeing permits for solid waste, recycling, and composting facilities; administering the Recycling and Illegal Dumping (RAID) Fund and Solid Waste Facility Grant Programs; conducting operator certification training; and providing technical assistance to local governments, tribal entities, community organizations, and the public.
In collaboration with the RAID Alliance, the bureau plans to develop a Circular Economy Plan over the next year. This initiative follows Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's signing of House Bill 291 during the last legislative session. The plan will focus on market-based opportunities for recycling and reuse to keep resources within the value chain rather than in landfills. It will be part of an update to New Mexico's Solid Waste Management Plan from 2015.
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