TRINIDAD — Terra Firma Recycling announces new and upcoming projects to expand services and encourage recycling. Located two miles from downtown Trinidad, Terra Firma is a regional facility open to everyone. From Main Street go west on Arizona Avenue, pass the Masonic Cemetery, and follow signs over and up one street to the recycling center, which is open Monday-Friday, 9 am-4 pm, and Saturday, 9 am-noon. Kelli and Jeremy Van Matre started Terra Firma, a non-profit organization, in January 2014 to fill a demand for year-round recycling. Every day, 25-50 people bring cardboard, other paper products, and plastic and metal items to the recycling center instead of to local landfills. To date, Terra Firma has sold over 320,000 pounds of material on the recyclables market. Twin Enviro Services is a Colorado waste collection company with several environmental initiatives. Locally they collect recyclables in a big roll out for the U.S. Army at the Piñon Canyon Manuever Site and haul the full container to Terra Firma. A few months ago, Terry Gordon, the customer service manager, started another program to help Terra Firma. Twin Enviro
provides employees and a trailer to pick up cardboard from commercial customers on behalf of Terra Firma. So far twenty businesses have signed up for the “cardboard route” which has scheduling and container options. Later this summer, Terra Firma will offer a paint recycling program in conjunction with PaintCare. The non-profit organization works in states with paint disposal laws by training workers and setting up locations where people can take unwanted paint. Terra Firma also is partnering with Rich Columbo, who “integrates recycling into art” in his multi-media creations. He will work with youth to decorate “Earth Barrels” to collect aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and other recyclables at public places and special events. You can support Terra Firma by recycling at home, school, and work. For details about what types of paper, plastic and metal items are accepted or to volunteer or to make a tax-deductible donation, call Terra Firma at 719-859-3998 or go to www.terrafirmarecycling.com.
