ECUA, Escambia County Break Ground On Recycling Facility

February 13, 2016

In a few short months, recycling in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will be back to normal. The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority  and Escambia County held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday  at the future site of the Interim Materials Recycling Facility (IMRF) at the Escambia County Perdido Landfill.

The facility will provide a solution to the recycling woes experienced by ECUA over the past few years.

ECUA board members and Escambia County commissioners were present for the ceremony, highlighting this inter-governmental partnership.  Escambia County and ECUA are working together toward the achievement of the Florida’s 75 percent recycling initiative, and the manifestation of a long-term recycling solution for the county through this cooperative venture is an extremely positive step toward meeting this goal.

Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry and ECUA Board Member Larry Walker, who both represent the county’s northern District 5, expressed their excitement over the combined efforts on the facility.

“I think this is another example of two of your elected bodies working together in a manner that is absolutely the best way when you are talking about public money, or ratepayer money,” Barry said. “I hope the citizens will view it as the benefit it is to see their dollars working together.”

“I’m excited about this cooperation between Escambia County and ECUA,” Walker said. “It is what I and the ECUA board wanted for years. It is a thrill to see it happening. It is nice to be standing here on county commission property at an ECUA facility. This is great.”

The new IMRF will include a 50,000 square-foot fabric building that will house the material sorting equipment. The IMRF is projected to handle 165 tons of recyclable materials per day, with an estimated annual capacity of 40,000 tons.

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.

Until the IMRF is completed, 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.

The ECUA Board has awarded the following contracts for the IMRF project: Brown Construction for approximately $1.49 million to complete site work; $1.4 million to Big Top Inc. for the fabric building; and $5.5 million to Bulk Handling Systems for the recyclables processing equipment.

The IMRF is scheduled to be fully operational this summer.

Pictured top: The official groundbreaking for a new recycling facility at the Perdido Landfill Friday afternoon. Pictured inset: Escambia County Administrator Jack Brown. Pictured below: ECUA board members and Escambia County commissioners discuss the joint facility. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

6 Responses to “ECUA, Escambia County Break Ground On Recycling Facility”

  1. D.O. on February 17th, 2016 6:39 pm

    This would have been a good idea when you implemented the recycling program, instead of years later.

  2. M in Bratt on February 17th, 2016 6:43 am

    In the mean time, we still have garbage trucks playing follow the leader all over two counties. One garbage truck picking up trash and hauling it to the dump, Then one recycling truck picking up recyclables and hauling them to the same dump. Couldn’t one truck do both? What happened Dr. Walker, did they take away your common sense when they awarded your Doctorate Degree?

  3. walnut Hill Roy on February 13th, 2016 9:27 am

    What happens to this recycling facility after the first hurricane to hit the area rips the fabric building to shreds and soaks all of the machinery.

  4. Noticer on February 13th, 2016 8:21 am

    To save even more money, can’t the prisoners at the Road Camp sort the recycling?

  5. Bob C. on February 13th, 2016 7:46 am

    What will this new facility be able to process for recycling?

    Please define, “Interim Materials Recycling Facility (IMRF)”.
    What does that really mean in language that the average non-government-speak person understand?

    Being a fabric building is this temporary?

    GREAT idea and Long Overdue….will they process glass, tires and the like?

  6. Steve on February 13th, 2016 6:40 am

    Nothing better than dressing up to go sit at the landfill. LOL
    Looks like they landed on the moon.
    Hope the recycle projects works.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News