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     The Camino Real Landfill near the Mexico , Texas and New Mexico border has become a model of how to successfully treat non-hazardous maquila waste.

      The Camino Real Landfill is a publicly-owned solid waste disposal facility that accepts non-hazardous residential, commercial and industrial waste. About 8 to 12 percent of that waste is generated by maquilas in neighboring Ciudad Juárez and the state of Chihuahua .

      Not all trash is good enough for Camino Real. It accepts only non-hazardous solid waste. Every load of trash is recorded. Any load with suspicious materials, including any liquid wastes, is turned away. Photographs and special documentation are taken of particular loads, including maquiladora waste, even though not required by state or federal agencies. The landfill is completely fenced, and is guarded 24 hours a day.

      “We treat all waste as if it was hazardous waste,” says Joe King, president and general manager of Camino Real Environmental Center, Inc., the landfill operator. “We take photos of all incoming waste and document the contents through chemical analysis. We have a record of every waste stream in here. It is overkill, but it has served us well. We’ve never had a violation.”

      Camino Real is regulated by both the New Mexico Environment Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and is subject to frequent unannounced inspections. No notices of violation have been issued in more than 50 state inspections since 1992, and all water and soil test results are well within compliance levels.

      No principle of managing a modern landfill is more important than environmental protection. Camino Real prohibits all hazardous or toxic wastes. Camino Real does not accept liquid wastes. Camino Real monitors air, water and soil. Camino Real routinely unloads...

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