A newly installed water bottle fountain at Ashley Pond Park. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY Los Alamos Daily Post kirsten@ladailypost.com

The Environmental Services Division has put a $32,000 New Mexico Clean and Beautiful grant to good use.

Environmental Services partnered with Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC), and Parks and Recreation Division and applied for the grant with the goal to reduce waste, Environmental Services Division Manager Angelica Gurule said.

The grant allowed the County to purchase 150 backyard compost kits, install three water bottle filling stations as well as distribute 400 water bottles that feature a design created by PEEC and the Zero Waste Los Alamos Team.

Most of the compost kits and water bottles have been distributed, Gurule said, adding that the backyard compost kits are new to the County.

Last year 320 kits were distributed, and residents asked for more.

Administrative Scale Operator Sonja Martinez said that the public also responded favorably to water bottle filling stations, which are located at Ashley Pond Park, the White Rock Splash Pad and the sports complex at Overlook Park.

“They were excited about the water bottle filling stations,” she said.

Gurule added that the locations of the filling stations were selected because “we really wanted to provide water filling stations in high traffic areas.”

Members of the community and visitors now have an option to refill their water bottle.

The water bottle filling stations not only feature a dispenser for water bottles but also a water fountain spout and a spout for pets. The water bottles and the water bottle filling stations are incentives to use reusable water bottles over single-use plastic ones, Gurule said.

“The funding … will reduce the number of single-use water bottles that end up in the trash or worse, litter in our beautiful landscape,” she said.

Gurule said the grants from New Mexico Clean and Beautiful are awarded through a competitive process. They are available every spring.

For this fiscal year’s application, Gurule said she submitted for funds to create a re-use center in White Rock. The center would operate similar to a thrift store, but items would be much smaller and items would be given away for free.

People could pick up office chairs or a bicycle or a pet cage and keep these items out of the landfill.

“I’m really excited to see it thrive,” Gurule said.

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