The Cortez Refuse and Recycling Division is expanding its community outreach with a newly named side-load trash truck and an afternoon project involving 14 student volunteers.
Students from the art service class at Southwest Open School painted four public drop-off dumpsters after city Refuse/Recycling Welding Fabricator Gerry Durall refurbished them. The project was funded by the LOR Foundation and the League of Women Voters.
The students completed the artwork in one afternoon, toured the facility and learned about recycling programs, upcoming initiatives, job opportunities and the value of earning a commercial driver’s license. They were served pizza as a thank you for their work.
“It was a fantastic afternoon chatting about the future of recycling in Montezuma County and exploring job opportunities for local graduates in our area,” Refuse/Recycling Superintendent Colby Earley told The Journal. “Events like this help build community pride and inspire the next generation.
The city also held a community paper-shredding event with the League of Women Voters and LOR. League volunteers helped shred paper and handed out recycling information.
Both events coincided with the naming of the city’s newest side-load trash truck. The Truck Naming Contest began in 2023 and drew 218 entries. Winners received a $100 Cortez Cash gift card. The winning names announced in August 2023 were PacMan, Bin Diesel, Truck Norris, Sidewinder and Meryl Sweep. Honorable mentions included Binderella, Sweeping Beauty, Big Gulp and Kanye Waste.
Earley said naming contests are typically held during the summer’s Third Thursday events to encourage turnout. The newest truck, “The Bin Reaper,” arrived in winter and was named in-house, but Earley said the community has embraced it.
“Today on its first outing, the operator was being stopped and people commenting or gleefully waving and laughing at the truck’s new name,” Earley said.
City employees submitted 87 name ideas, including Scoop Dog for an excavator in a previous contest.
Earley said fleet improvements focus on safety and efficiency, noting that refuse and recycling jobs rank among the top five to seven most dangerous in the country.
Earley said the investment is intended to improve safety, increase efficiency and create clearer career paths for employees. He said the upgrades also help build pride in a modern, community‑supported fleet.
“These events build awareness, encourage participation, and show young people pathways into public service,” he said. “The future looks bright with continued engagement.”
