The Columbia County Executive Committee unanimously approved a $2.1 million upgrade to its solid waste recycling. The move is projected to increase annual revenue and per hour productivity while decreasing labor costs. With the installation of new equipment and upgrades to the current facility, the recycling plant will be able to process eight to 10 tons of recycled material per hour, with only 7 fulltime workers, said County Solid Waste Director Greg Kaminski.
The current facility can process about four tons of material per hour with 11 workers, Kaminski said. Prior to COVID-19, the facility relied entirely on labor from Huber Center inmates at Columbia County Correctional Institution. Because of virus restrictions, the center has relied on temporary workers, which required time-and-a-half pay. Kaminski said with the upgrades, the facility could operate at 40 hours per week instead of the 50 to 55 it uses currently. “I think we’re a good resource for services in the County,” Kaminski said.
Supervisor Barry Pufahl, of Pardeeville, said he is in favor of the upgrades to work towards getting the facility fully self-funded. “We’ve been telling people for years that this was going to be a self-funded operation,” Pufahl said.