3,000 Pounds Diverted: Inside Our First Waste Diversion Event

Two years ago, the only thing we could recycle locally in Taos was cardboard. Today we recycle glass, aluminum, tin, paper, some plastic, batteries, and more, thanks to a handful of regional partners. That's real progress, and this fall we pushed it further.

This past October, our Sustainability and Development teams teamed up on Taos Ski Valley's first Waste Diversion event and Fall Cleanup Month for resort staff. The idea was simple: instead of sending work items we no longer use to the landfill, donate, recycle, or reuse as much as we can. We set up a drop-off area for scrap metal, building supplies, usable electronics, e-waste, furniture, and appliances.

For a first run, the turnout blew us away. With our staff's help, we diverted 3,000 pounds of scrap metal and donated a large load of office and household items to CAV and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It's a meaningful step toward reducing our scope 3 emissions, on top of our day-to-day recycling.

We'd love to make this an annual event, and maybe even open a year-round drop-off spot for staff. Waste is hard to avoid, but this showed us how much we can keep out of the landfill when we go after it together.