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ECUA Begins Work On Recycling Facility; Recyclables Currently Being Dumped
January 21, 2016
Recyclables from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are continuing to be dumped in landfills with regular trash, but ECUA officials say they are working feverishly to establish process their own recyclables.
Work is now underway at the Perdido Landfill to construct a recycling plant with the plant expected to be complete by mid 2016, according to ECUA spokesperson Nathalie Bowers, providing a permanent solution to recycling woes. An official groundbreaking ceremony on the new facility is expected to occur in February.
“We are committed to recycling and will have this facility ready to go as soon as possible,” she said. In the meantime, ECUA customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are continuing to receive recycling pickups as usual.
“We want customers to remain in the habit of separating their recyclables,” Bowers said.
After the flooding, closure and bankruptcy of West Florida Recycling in Pensacola, ECUA entered into a two year agreement with the Infinitus Energy Park (IREP) in Montgomery. Even with transportation costs, ECUA was making a net profit of a few dollars per ton off the deal.
After the center abruptly closed in October 2015, ECUA began transporting recyclable materials to Tarpon Paper Co. in Loxley, AL.
ECUA stopped transporting recyclables to Tarpon in December when they implemented a $12.50 per-ton tipping fee.
For now, all recyclables collected in Escambia County are being dumped in the Perdido Landfill, and the Santa Rosa County Landfill is receiving materials collected in that county.
“But we will be back soon with our own facility,” Bower said. “We can’t stress that enough as we encourage customers to continue to stay in the habit of separating their recyclables.”
Comments
13 Responses to “ECUA Begins Work On Recycling Facility; Recyclables Currently Being Dumped”
Where do you think the recycle dumpster someone spoke of is being dumped?
Where can ECUA pile up the recycle that someone wants them to keep until it can be salvaged?
ECUA does not charge customers for recycle so how would they reduce a “free” service?
Recycle items go into a grey can, garbage into a green can…how much separating are you doing?
When I have enough recycled materials to make it worth the trip I will take it to facility over in Alabama. There are several on the other side of Mobile. There may be some closer, not sure about that.
Would somebody please explain to me why the ECUA still is running two trucks on each route, one picking up trash and hauling it to the dump, the other picking up recyclables and hauling them to the same dump. It would be cheaper on the citizens if they parked one set of trucks and let the drivers sit in a break room all day than it is to purchase, maintain, fuel, and insure trucks that just follow each other around. Maybe that explains why the service is better and cheaper in Santa Rosa County.
I’ll keep separating things, not a big deal. Hope ECUA finds a solution soon.
My question is, what REALLY happens to the styrofoam meat trays, etc., that I drop off at Publix? Does it actually get recycled or just end up in the trash flow? I know that almost no one accepts styrofoam for recycling, so I just wonder what Publix’ secret is?
Liana L on January 22nd, 2016 3:55 am Well then! Why in the world am I working so hard to separate everything! This really aggravates me! I’m guess I’m gonna follow Jane’s idea and take my recycling to a recycling dumpster up the road. FYI: There’s a recycling materials dumpster at the small courthouse in Century.
Where do you think that recycling goes? It all goes to the dump right now. It is not ECUA’s fault. They had a contract with a different company to handle their materials, but that company went bankrupt and bailed on the contract. There was no point in building a new recycling plant while they were under contract with someone else. The new plant would have just sat there. Since the other company bailed on the contract, ECUA has to hurry up and build the new processing plant. Everyone should just be patient.
Well then! Why in the world am I working so hard to separate everything! This really aggravates me! I’m guess I’m gonna follow Jane’s idea and take my recycling to a recycling dumpster up the road. FYI: There’s a recycling materials dumpster at the small courthouse in Century.
City of Brewton just stopped taking in any plastics and cardboard in their recycled dumpster. They are looking for a place that will take the products now.
Jane on January 21st, 2016 11:30 am So I guess I will be recycling somewhere else if they are just tossing it all in the landfill. I also think they should give us a reduction in rates if they are charging us to recycle and they are throwing it away!
Where would you go?
So I guess I will be recycling somewhere else if they are just tossing it all in the landfill. I also think they should give us a reduction in rates if they are charging us to recycle and they are throwing it away!
Anyone know where the recyclables in Atmore are going? I was under impression they were taken to Santa Rosa county.
So you’re telling me I’ve been seperating my trash from recyclables for nothing? Well dang.
I would hope that ECUA is at the very least, continuing to segregate the recyclables from the regular trash. Maybe then some of it can be salvaged.
Then let them lower the fee they charge us to pick up recycled materials that we take time to separate! This really irritates me, because I called and asked them if they were recycling and they said yes! I can drive my recycled materials to a recycled materials dumpster if they are going to throw it in the landfill!