The Resource Recovery Bureau promotes and works to ensure solid waste management practices that improve and protect public health and New Mexico’s air, land, and water.
The Bureau does this through:
Solid Waste is Now Resource Recovery
The New Mexico Environment Department has renamed its Solid Waste Bureau to the Resource Recovery Bureau to reflect its expanded mission in sustainable materials management. In addition to overseeing permitting and compliance for solid waste facilities, the Bureau administers recycling and composting initiatives, manages grant programs, and works to reduce waste, conserve resources, and advance a circular economy in New Mexico.
- Overseeing permitting for solid waste, recycling, and composting facilities
- Administering the Recycling and Illegal Dumping (RAID) Grant and Solid Waste Facility Grant Programs
- Conducting operator certification training
- Providing technical assistance to local governments, tribal entities, community organizations, and the public
- The Bureau’s activities are guided by the New Mexico Solid Waste Act; Solid Waste Rules; Recycling and Illegal Dumping Act; Recycling, Illegal Dumping, and Scrap Tire Management Rules; and other state and federal rules and policies.
Solid Waste Management Plan Update
The Resource Recovery Bureau, with funding from the EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) program and support from consultant Burns & McDonnell, is launching an update to New Mexico’s Solid Waste Management Plan, last updated in 2015. The project will modernize statewide waste management strategies, strengthen data collection, and set goals for recycling, food waste reduction, and sustainable materials management. Stakeholder engagement will begin at the 2025 New Mexico Recycling & Solid Waste Conference in Santa Fe, September 30–October 1, with additional opportunities for feedback over the next year.