Sandoval County buys trash compactor for landfill

Sandoval County announced Thursday that its trash compactor fleet has expanded to three.

The new $1.3 million, state-of-the-art piece of equipment was purchased from funds earned by the landfill and at no cost to taxpayers.

This compactor, the largest one made, runs on diesel fuel. Tier 4 compliant, the strictest EPA emissions requirement for off-highway diesel engines, it is 14 feet tall, 31 feet long and 17 feet wide with the straight blade attached and weighs 127,000 pounds.

This new unit allows an older compactor to be taken out of service for repairs. Compactors of this type have an estimated useful life of five years before they need to be rebuilt.

The county landfill operates six days a week. It takes in an average of 614 tons of trash daily such as mattresses, tires, appliances, green waste, concrete and more.

The landfill has approximately 100,000 customer visits annually, representing both residents and commercial trash haulers.

“What’s important for people to know is that our landfill is not a dump," Sandoval County Manager Wayne Johnson said. "It is a component of the county’s comprehensive Solid Waste, Recycling and Composting Complex. This complex provides for an eco-friendly, regulatory-compliant and aesthetic community. We are very proud of our efforts and of our teams who manage these programs.”

The facility, which is a cash or business check-only operation, is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday with hours subject to change due to weather conditions.

Landfill customers are both commercial haulers and residents.

According to Christopher Perea, landfill manager, technicians are on-premise to assist visitors with the disposal process. Perea identified the accepted materials as residential waste, residential recycling items, residential household hazardous waste and construction and demolition waste. Perea also encourages all landfill visitors to review the complete listing and descriptions for accepted and non-accepted materials on the county website.

“Our complex strives to meet the needs of our residents and businesses throughout the county — cities, villages and tribal communities, and beyond. We have collection centers and stations in our more rural areas and of course, the complex is located at 2708 Iris Road NE, Rio Rancho," Mark Hatzenbuhler, director of Sandoval County Public Works, said. "Best practices are in place to meet regulatory criteria and provide excellent customer service. The county started this work in 1970, and it continues today. Our goal is that our customers, from our county and from all over the state, have convenient and affordable access to waste disposal. Also, we are a recycling center and accept flattened cardboard, plastics, scrap metal, mixed paper, electronics, computers and construction materials. In addition, when available, we offer green products including mulch (wood chips) and compost.”