Construction To Start on West Mobile Recycling Center

Posted on: Nov 22nd, 2013 | News and Announcements

The Mobile County Commission and employees of Goodwill Easter Seals will celebrate the ground-breaking of a $2.4 million recycling center in west Mobile at 10 a.m. Friday on the grounds of the old Brewer Center off Hitt Road. The Mobile County Recycling Center will finally make it convenient for citizens in the fast-growing west side of the county to drop off typical residential recyclables. The center will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. at peak operation, anticipated by the third year. An estimated 10 cars per hour will use the facility. Items will be all residential; no industrial products will be accepted. ?These will be clean materials that can be recycled to minimize landfill use,? said Commissioner Connie Hudson, who spearheaded the project by tapping a federal Coastal Impact Assistance Project (CIAP) grant. ?Best of all, our citizens won?t waste time and gas driving to the other side of town to responsibly dispose of their recyclable materials.? The 13,000 square-foot building on site will be insulated to minimize noise and landscaping will block the view of operations from the roadway. The facility is expected to be operational in nine months. Goodwill Easter Seals will operate and manage the program at its own expense and expects that it will be self-sustaining eventually. The agency is a non-profit organization that provides programs and services to help individuals and families overcome challenges due to disabilities or other barriers. Currently, 60 percent of materials that take up limited landfill space include the recyclables such as glass, electronics and most plastics. These items can be recycled, but commercial recyclers typically will not accept them because there is little to no return on their investment. Ben M. Radcliff Contractor Inc. is the project builder; Driven Engineering Inc. is the architectural firm.