May 8, 2020
Carmen Lopez
Las Vegas, N.M. – The New Mexico Highlands University Recycling Center is open 7 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday.
The Highlands Recycling Center is at 9th and Raynolds adjacent to the Gallinas River Walk. It is west of the university’s John A. Wilson Complex and behind the tennis court parking lot.
“People have been saving up their recycling during the coronavirus pandemic, which keeps us on our toes,” said Carmen Lopez, recycling center coordinator. “We have a community of dedicated recyclers.”
The Highlands Recycling Center accepts cardboard, aluminum and tin.
The recycling center cannot accept items like plastic, newspaper, paper, televisions, mattresses, tires, Styrofoam, shredded paper, motor oil and paint because it can’t recycle them. Biohazards like diabetic needles also aren’t allowed.
Lopez said recyclable materials cannot be left at the recycling center after its regular hours. The site is monitored by security cameras.
“Skunks, rodents and neighborhood dogs get into recyclables that are left at the center when we aren’t open,” Lopez said.
Highlands built its Recycling Center in 2010 and opened it to the public. The phone number for the center is 505-426-7788.