Upgrades to Resource Central’s Reuse Center and Eco-Cycle’s Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials are underway. The $2.3 million project, a collaboration between the nonprofit organizations and Boulder, is meant to protect the recycled materials available for reuse as well as the customers who use the facility at 6400 Arapahoe Road in Boulder. It’s seen by those involved as the next step in Boulder’s vision to create an innovation hub for waste reduction along “Recycle Row,” the location of Boulder’s various recycle and reuse facilities.
The upgrades, which began last week, include insulating and heating the organizations’ shared warehouse and adding LED lighting, racking for materials and public restrooms. The project also includes covering the outdoor materials yard and adding solar electricity generation. Covering the outdoor materials yard is a big step forward, according to Resource Central CEO Neal Lurie.
“Resource Central currently diverts about four million pounds of building materials from landfills every year, and that’s great. But the materials are open and exposed to the elements here, so day after day, rain and snow are ruining building materials that could be used for home improvement projects by local families,” Lurie said.