New Recycling Center Opens in West Mobile

Posted on: Nov 20th, 2014 | News and Announcements

Recycling just got a whole lot easier. A landscaped, sound-insulated recycling center big enough to handle the county?s residential recyclables will open to the public late Thursday afternoon following a ribbon-cutting and public tours of the processing facility and on-site classrooms. The facility, located at 7450 Hitt Road, will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ?We are open for business,? announced Mobile County Commission President Connie Hudson, who led the effort to fund and build the facility. ?This operation will be a key element in meeting state and national goals to extend the life of our landfills and to assure that our environment isn?t degraded by irresponsible disposal of household recyclables.? Goodwill Easter Seals will operate and manage the facility at its own expense and expects that it will be self-sustaining eventually. ?Our organization has been helping people find new homes for their unwanted items for a long, long time. In fact, we help Gulf Coast residents divert almost two million pounds of material from landfills every month. This recycling center is a new and exciting way for us to add to that,? says Goodwill Easter Seals CEO Frank Harkins. The 15,000 square-foot operations building will take drop-offs from Mobile County residents of plastic, aluminum, paper, cardboard, glass, electronics, and non-alkaline batteries. (No industrial products will be accepted.) Cost of the project is funded by a $2.7 million federal grant, along with a $141,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. The recycling building features a brick façade and decorative stucco. A roof-covered area creates a sheltered patio where the waste bins will be lined up. Once filled, the bins will be rolled inside the building. Tipping and sorting equipment will convey the contents into the appropriate processing machines to be compacted, crushed and baled. The bales facilitate shipping, which start at the four truck bays located on the south side of the building. ?Our can compactor takes 800 aluminum cans and crushes them into 20-inch cubes,? said Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood. ?The machines can do a little with a lot,? she joked. More than just a recycling center, the site provides classrooms and ultimately will feature a pavilion for school children to learn about recycling and its impact on the environment.