The three Rs are no longer a time-honored tradition for curriculum known as reading, writing and arithmetic. In today's lingo driven world the three Rs take on a totally different life better known as-- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The City of Laredo has implemented this concept across the many disciplines that govern environmental issues. There has been great environmental success in the Department of Public Works that oversees recycling, vehicle fleet maintenance, and the landfill.
Developing and implementing a recycling program and then engaging the community has been a multi-phase project with some positively staggering numbers to show for the City's relatively young-effort.
In 1996, the first full year of operation of the City of Laredo's Material Recovery Facility (MRF), approximately 1.6 million pounds of recyclable material such as newspaper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum cans, and steel cans were collected. More than 20 million pounds of recyclable material were collected in 2000. Recyclable material is processed and sold to buyers who then reprocess the material into environmentally safe products.
Education on recycling is an essential component to the environmental effort put forth by the City. In 1996, City staff began to visit all levels of schools from kindergarten to college. The City believes strongly that teaching this message at a young age can make a greater impact, eventually leading to a more environmentally conscious individual. n fact, recycling in Laredo has increased each subsequent year since the program was initiated. In 1997 and 1998, approximately 7.8 and 12.8 million pounds of recyclables were collected, respectively. In 1999 and 2000, approximately 17.3 and 20.7 million pounds of recyclables were collected. From the year 1996 to 2000 there has been a 93 percent increase in the recycling participation by Laredo residents and businesses. The increase definitely shows that the City's educational efforts and participants are making their due contributions to the cause.
There are many benefits to recycling -- some that are more tangible than others. One of the direct benefits visible to City personnel is that recycling reduces the amount of waste entering a landfill. The City has saved valuable landfill space and prolonged the landfill's life by recycling. Statistics show that citizens are recycling four percent of their household garbage.
Another Public Works effort that is saving landfill space is the City's mulching project. Businesses and individuals alike are diverting clean branches from regular disposal for processing into mulch, which is free and available to everyone at the landfill. All these efforts combined contribute toward the State of Texas' Waste Reduction Goal to achieve an overall 40 percent reduction in the amount of waste entering the state's municipal solid waste landfills.
The Recycling Drop-off Center at 1201 Clark is the latest addition to the City's slate of services and the newest phase in its recycling program. The Recycling Drop-off Center was placed at this site to make it more convenient for users to drop off their recyclables, giving them an option to going to the Landfill on Highway 359. This facility also accepts recyclables from businesses.
As the City continues to make strides in its recycling program, there is still the need to secure long-term funding through grant applications and more innovative programs. There are still more Laredoans to engage and more educating to be done as the City moves toward a more environmentally conscious future.

Landfill
A lasting environmental aspect for any municipality to administer is the landfill. It has many long-term effects on the eco-system as it has to be regulated at every level.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission enforce regulations that govern the operation of a municipal landfill. The landfill meets all Environmental Protection Agency "Subtitle D" regulatory requirements to protect the environment. It is designed and operated to protect the ground water and surface water from sources of contamination such as household garbage and industrial waste. The bottom of a "cell" or trench where municipal waste is place is lined with a high density polyethylene liner. Any rain water and liquid that infiltrate through the trash is collected at the lowest point of a cell and is pumped into a storage tank for later disposal to a wastewater treatment plant. The landfill also has monitoring probes to detect methane gas, a by-product of decomposition.
Landfill personnel are trained to screen the incoming trash to ensure no hazardous waste or other prohibited waste enters the landfill. Some of the prohibited waste are lead-acid batteries, used motor oil, appliances, refrigerants, light ballasts and microwaves, liquid waste, empty containers that have been used for pesticide or herbicide, and untreated sludge, grease trap waste, and grit trap waste.
The landfill accepts household appliances, clean branches and used tires. Transporting appliances to a local scrap-metal yard, however, salvages it and increases the possibility of reuse of the appliance parts. Branches received at the landfill are ground into mulch, which is available for the public at McPherson Road next to the Public Library and at the landfill. The shredded material is used as erosion control material for areas with erosion problems and cover material for the trash daily. Small sized tires are shredded into pieces with a tire shredder.
The hours of operation of the landfill are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
The charge for residents is $2.00 a load with less than one ton of trash. Residents will need to show proof of residency with a valid drivers' license and a copy of their most recent utilities bill. There is no charge for residents on Saturdays providing that they meet the residency requirements and that the load is less than one ton. The general commercial rate is $30.00 per ton. All loads must be secured and covered with a tarp. The landfill is closed to the public during wet weather.
The City of Laredo Landfill is undergoing improvements set to be completed in late December 2001. Also in late December and the early part of January 2002, the landfill will accept old Christmas trees for mulch. Trees can be deposited at several sites throughout the City:
City of Laredo Landfill: (1.9 miles E. Hwy 359 & Loop 20 Intersection)
Public Works (4312 Daugherty)
Fire Station # 2 Rear (2200 Chacota)
Fire Station # 3 (2420 San Bernardo)
Fire Station #4 1919 Houston
Fire Station # 5 (2601 Bartlett Ave.)
Fire Station #6 4903 Maher Ave.
Fire Station #7 1120 Calton Road
Fire Station # 8 (510 Del Mar Blvd.)
Fire Station # 9 (11700 Mines Road)
Fire Station #10 11015 McPherson Rd.
Fire Station #11 5210 HWY 359
Fire Station #12 9402 NE Bob Bullock Loop

Other Environmental Aspects
Environmental awareness in the past and today has prompted city leaders to begin a pilot program for the purchase of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) run vehicles. To date the program has resulted in a fleet of 45 City vehicles and 23 El Metro buses.
There are several advantages to using CNG-fueled vehicles. Natural gas costs an average of 15 to 40 percent less than gasoline and diesel. Natural gas is a clean-burning fuel that reduces vehicle maintenance. The City's Fleet Maintenance Department reports that oil changes are needed only every 5,000 - 10,000 miles. Standard spark plugs can last as long as 100,000 miles. Another positive point is that natural gas, unlike liquid fuels, cannot be siphoned from a vehicle. Natural gas is the cleanest burning alternative fuel. Exhaust emissions from natural gas vehicles (NGV) are much lower than those from equivalent gasoline-powered vehicles. For example, a NGV emits 70 percent less carbon monoxide, 89 percent less non-methane organic compounds and 87 percent less nitrogen oxides. A NGV also emits significantly less amounts of greenhouse gases than do gasoline vehicles.
The major difference between a vehicle using gasoline and natural gas is the fuel system. Natural gas is compressed to between 3,000 and 3,600 pounds per square inch and is usually stored in cylinders which is installed in the rear, undercarriage, or on the roof of the vehicle. The City's CNG refueling station is located at the El Metro maintenance facility in central-east Laredo.
Another impact that environmental awareness has had on the City is its purchasing trends. The City makes every effort to buy recycled paper products from toilet tissue to copying paper.
In other areas affecting the environment, the City of Laredo will now have a regular program in place entitled Cash for Tires. In an effort to continue mosquito and other vector control disease prevention services the City of Laredo Health Department Mosquito Abatement and Surveillance Project in conjunction with the City of Laredo Public Works Department will hold a monthly used tire buy-back event. This effort is intended to help reduce the exposure to diseases such as Dengue fever. In part this important initiative is possible through special funding from the Texas Department of Health (Innovation Grant).
The citizens of Laredo will be paid $0.50 for every (passenger or truck) tire or artificial container (greater than 5 gallon in capacity). The "Cash for Tire" program will take place at the Citizens Recycling Drop-off Center located on 1201 Clark Blvd, the first Saturday of every month starting Saturday, December 1, 2001 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The "Cash for Tire" program will be in effect for the next two years, and will end Saturday, September 7, 2003. Citizens can also take up to four (4) passenger tires to the city landfill on Saturdays at no charge.
The City has implemented the three R's as a standard operating procedure. With more involvement and effort from the private sector and the general public the long term effect of reduce, reuse and recycle will be counted for years to come.