Journal 12: Project Plan

“Cleaning and Maintaining Albuquerque’s Open Spaces”

The project “Cleaning and Maintaining Albuquerque’s Open Spaces” is working toward

the goal of reducing waste and litter in open spaces. These open spaces are areas that are not used

for residential, commercial, industrial, or institutional use. Commonly these areas are public

parks and trails located within the Albuquerque area. The following objectives would need to be

met for this project’s goal to be completed:

o Increase the number of waste containers in open areas

o Educate the Albuquerque population about the consequences of waste and provide

information about how to keep Albuquerque clean

o Enforce regulations about illegal dumping through harsher fines or punishments

To meet these objectives, this project, Keep Albuquerque Beautiful and Waste Management

will be working together to provide both resources and education to the people of

Albuquerque to help maintain and clean open spaces/roadways. These programs will also be

working together to present and enforce changes to policies about illegal dumping in

collaboration with The New Mexico Environment Department. Below are the three phases of

this project:

Phase One: Provide More Waste Containers in Open Spaces

When walking through or driving past open spaces in Albuquerque, it is evident that there

is waste in these areas. This waste collects and can become hazardous to those who are around it.

The open spaces in Albuquerque where waste is most commonly seen are within parks and
alongside public trails. It is also noticeable that there is a lack of places to place trash. The

solution to this problem is providing more containers to place trash in.

- With the help of Waste Management, parks and trails in Albuquerque that have a specific

amount of trash [label this percentage/number] will be receiving more trash cans located

throughout the park/trail. There must be enough trashcans in these areas because when

the cans get too full or there are not enough, individuals start to throw their waste on the

ground.

- Recycling containers will also be placed in every public park and trail because recycling

reduces waste that ends up on the ground, prevents pollution, conserves natural resources,

conserves energy, and creates jobs (https://sheboygandpw.com/news-updates/five-

benefits-of-recycling-2020-01-14).

- More dumpsters will be placed in major areas where individuals can dump their waste

from their homes as well as any waste that they collect from open spaces in Albuquerque

because this will allow community members to dump their waste in monitored areas that

are collected and taken to proper facilities rather than dumping this trash out into the

land.

Phase Two: Educate the Albuquerque Community

Providing education to Albuquerque’s population is important as it allows these

communities to understand the value that keeping Albuquere clean. This information will come

in different forms to accommodate and aim to reach as many people as possible:

- Creating a website that includes all of the below information that way people have easy

access:
 o Information about why reducing and limiting waste is necessary

o Times and meeting places for monthly meetings about waste

o Informational videos about how to keep open spaces clean by providing

instructions on how to properly throw away waste/what can be recycled

o Information about the new regulations and how to report illegal dumping

o Volunteer opportunities

o A survey that can be taken to provide information about what areas need

cleaning/any other suggestions and concerns

- Meetings will be conducted every month in different areas of Albuquerque that way

people can stay near their homes and do not have to travel to hear the information. These

meetings will provide information about:

o Provide information about the importance of a clean Albuquerque

o Provide information about the new regulations and how to report illegal dumping

o Show videos about proper waste and recycling disposal

o Volunteer opportunities

o Open question forum to discuss the concerns about waste in Albuquerque

- Flyers/brochures will be placed in public spaces. This will include schools, community

centers, universities, libraries, etc. This is valuable as it allows the members of the

community to read about important information about waste. These flyers/brochures will

include:

o Quick information about the importance of keeping open spaces clean

o Link to website

Phase Three: Enforce Harsher Restrictions on Illegal Dumping

 Illegal dumping of waste is prohibited in Albuquerque. This includes the disposal of

waste in unpermitted locations which commonly are in abandoned and rural areas. Currently,

there are different levels of penalties when it comes to illegal dumping. These include as major

as incarceration to as minor as community service. This project’s goal is to reduce waste in open

spaces. A harsher fine will be implemented for those who dump their trash in parks or trails.

- Fines will be raised [how much] when an individual is caught dumping waste in public

parks and along trails based on how much waste is dumped

- Easier ways to report will be implemented including a place on the website that can be

accessed 24/7

The “Cleaning and Maintaining Albuquerque’s Open Spaces” project will significantly

help the cleanliness of the city’s open areas. By increasing the number of waste containers,

which includes recycling bins, trash cans, and dumpsters, the goal is to limit waste that is placed

on the ground. The education that is provided to the community will help to make members of

Albuquerque understand the importance of maintaining clean open spaces and also will provide

information and resources for how to participate in this project. By enforcing harsher fines for

illegal dumping, especially in parks and trails, the goal is to limit this behavior.

People within Albuquerque will be able to see a clear difference in the amount of waste

that is in open spaces which will provide a cleaner, healthier, and safer experience in those areas.

These individuals will also be able to participate in opportunities to contribute to the cleaning

efforts. Overall, the community will be able to see the benefits of this project by seeing the

reduction of waste in areas and will be able to experience a cleaner Albuquerque.