New Mexico

One of the mountain states, New Mexico is located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. The state had previously been part of the Spanish Empire and part of Mexico, and it was inhabited by Native Americans prior to European colonization. New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanic people and one of the highest Native American populations, mainly Navajo and Pueblo tribes. The demographics and culture of the state are unique in their strong Hispanic, Mexican, and Native American influences, but the state is one of the most sparsely inhabited in the United States. The southern border is shared with Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora, while the northwest corner of New Mexico joins with Colorado, Arizona, and Utah to make the Four Corners region. Crude oil, natural gas, tourism, and federal spending (mainly military) are prime factors in the New Mexico economy.

The 16th Nationwide Survey of MSW Management in the United States found that, in 2006, New Mexico had an estimated 2,125,052 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, placing it 38th in a survey of the 50 states and the capital district. Based on the 2006 population of 1,942,302, an estimated [Page 595]1.09 tons of MSW were generated per person per year (ranking joint 38th). New Mexico landfilled 1,933,451 tons (ranking 36th) in the state's 33 landfills, and it was ranked joint 18th out of 44 respondent states for number of landfills and was continuing to add to its capacity. It imported 625,247 tons of MSW, and the export tonnage was not reported. New Mexico has no waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities. It recycled 191,601 tons of MSW, placing New Mexico 40th in the ranking of recycled MSW tonnage. landfill tipping fees across New Mexico were an average $28 per ton, where the cheapest and most expensive average landfill fees in the United States were $15 and $96, respectively. New Mexico was the first state to limit landfill permit terms to 10 years for private-sector landfills, while allowing public landfills to have 20-year permits. New Mexico's six private-sector MSW facilities handle more than 20 percent of the state's waste; all are designed and operated within New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. The public landfills have fallen short of this standard, drawing criticism of the permit term difference.

There are around 15,000 abandoned mine features in the landscape of New Mexico, including shallow prospecting pits, 500-foot-deep shafts, and piles of mine waste known as “coal gob.” Abandoned mines are often-overlooked areas of potentially hazardous waste such as discarded dynamite, but are also potential archeological treasure troves: Many mine camps dating back as early as the 1880s have associated deposits of trash, which have offered up information on mining and mining ways of life in territorial New Mexico.