Phoenix Recycling opens new facility

Phoenix Recycling, Durango, Colorado, has opened a new plant to eliminate the need to use plants outside the area, a report by The Durango Herald says. The plant has the ability to process all residential recycled material from haulers in La Plata, Montezuma and Archuleta counties.

The 15,000-square-foot plant, which is built on 30 acres, is the beginnings of a resource recovery park that will be home to specialty recyclers that will work alongside Phoenix, owner Mark Thompson told The Durango Herald. Among the plan is to incorporate its C&D sorting facility in Three Springs, Colorado.

The construction of the facility was partially funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which provided a $260,000 grant, the report says. This includes a custom-made conveyor belt that can sort both residential and construction waste.

The conveyor will be used in a manual sorting process that is designed to divert more waste from landfills, the report says.

With its new facility, Phoenix Recycling also put a bid in to process the city of Durango’s municipal solid waste. According to the report, the city picks up about 22 tons of materials each week and processes it at Friedman Recycling, Albuquerque, New Mexico, who has a one-year contract with the city.

The new contract would last two years, the report says. The company that wins the new will also share profits from selling the materials.

Glass will still have to be dropped off separately at the city’s recycle center, where it will be shipped separately to be made into beer bottles, the report says. Phoenix doesn’t plan to process glass in its new facility due to possible contamination.