Plans for a proposed $24 million recycling center will move forward to ensure paper sorted for recycling is no longer dumped in a landfill, officials said. Environmentally aware Des Moines residents were frustrated after learning that nearly 20 tons (18.14 metric tons) of recycled paper ended up in the landfill every day last summer after the metro’s recycling company couldn’t find a buyer. Michael McCoy, executive director of the Metro Waste Authority, said their agency, which runs the landfill, wants to construct the facility to handle, sort and ultimately sell up to 45,000 tons (40823.33 metric tons) of recyclables annually. “You won’t see your paper go to the landfill,” he said.
The recycling center could open as soon as 2021, potentially near the agency’s Northwest Transfer Station in Grimes, The Des Moines Register reported. McCoy said the new facility won’t increase the trash and recycling fees of Metro Waste ratepayers.
It would need to generate about $2 million in yearly revenue to cover the extra costs to operate the facility, which does not include the initial construction outlays. Last week, Metro Waste approved the purchase of $10.9 million in equipment for the recycling facility.