2008 Woodie Awards
Recycling center to get upgrade
Stephen Schmidt - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
Residents who enjoyed planting trees, cleaning up garbage, and listening to Sen. Barack Obama speak on Earth Day this year may have something else to look forward to next spring - an updated East Side Recycling Center.
The center, a three-phase project that should be completed in three years, will operate with existing programs to increase total recycling capacity.
The Iowa City City Council approved funding for the center in early March as part of the city's Capital Improvement Program. The center is estimated to cost $2,307,921, according to the program.
The center would ease the stress on other programs, such as the recycling program at the Iowa City landfill, 3900 Hebl Ave. S.W., which diverts 35 percent of the county's total garbage out of the landfill for recycling, said Iowa City recycling coordinator Jennifer Jordan. Like most counties in the state, Johnson County falls short of the 50 percent goal set by the Iowa Waste Reduction and Recycling Act in 1989.
"We hope that the new center, along with educating the public about what they can do to help, will help us reach the goal set by the state," Jordan said. Iowa City is responsible for waste management for Johnson County, plus Riverside and Kalona.
Improvements to the existing recycling center at 2401 Scott Blvd. S.E. will include a drop-off site for waste oil, hazardous materials, and computer and electronic supplies; a new site for the Furniture Program, Salvage Barn, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore; and a classroom in which people can learn about recycling.
There are at present five recycling bins at the site, which accept glass, metal, newspaper, plastic, and cardboard. The Iowa Valley Habitat ReStore warehouse also reopened at the location in August 2006.
ReStore manager Mande Butler said she's excited to be included at the eastern location because local nonprofit organizations need strong community support to best use their resources. ReStore offers a similar selection to places such as Home Depot but operates in a manner similar to Goodwill - meaning that it depends on donations to sell materials at reduced prices, Butler said.
City Manager Steve Atkins said there was no pressing reason the council decided to pursue the recycling center, but said the land came up for sale at an opportune time and the new center would allow several recycling programs to be housed in a centralized location.
Further construction on the center could begin as soon as this fall, though it will more likely begin in the spring, Iowa City Public Works Director Rick Fosse said.
"We're going slow with this because it is such a new and unusual project," Fosse said. "We're taking our time to make sure we build things the way we want them to go."
E-mail DI reporter Stephen Schmidt at:
stephen-schmidt@uiowa.edu
The center, a three-phase project that should be completed in three years, will operate with existing programs to increase total recycling capacity.
The Iowa City City Council approved funding for the center in early March as part of the city's Capital Improvement Program. The center is estimated to cost $2,307,921, according to the program.
The center would ease the stress on other programs, such as the recycling program at the Iowa City landfill, 3900 Hebl Ave. S.W., which diverts 35 percent of the county's total garbage out of the landfill for recycling, said Iowa City recycling coordinator Jennifer Jordan. Like most counties in the state, Johnson County falls short of the 50 percent goal set by the Iowa Waste Reduction and Recycling Act in 1989.
"We hope that the new center, along with educating the public about what they can do to help, will help us reach the goal set by the state," Jordan said. Iowa City is responsible for waste management for Johnson County, plus Riverside and Kalona.
Improvements to the existing recycling center at 2401 Scott Blvd. S.E. will include a drop-off site for waste oil, hazardous materials, and computer and electronic supplies; a new site for the Furniture Program, Salvage Barn, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore; and a classroom in which people can learn about recycling.
There are at present five recycling bins at the site, which accept glass, metal, newspaper, plastic, and cardboard. The Iowa Valley Habitat ReStore warehouse also reopened at the location in August 2006.
ReStore manager Mande Butler said she's excited to be included at the eastern location because local nonprofit organizations need strong community support to best use their resources. ReStore offers a similar selection to places such as Home Depot but operates in a manner similar to Goodwill - meaning that it depends on donations to sell materials at reduced prices, Butler said.
City Manager Steve Atkins said there was no pressing reason the council decided to pursue the recycling center, but said the land came up for sale at an opportune time and the new center would allow several recycling programs to be housed in a centralized location.
Further construction on the center could begin as soon as this fall, though it will more likely begin in the spring, Iowa City Public Works Director Rick Fosse said.
"We're going slow with this because it is such a new and unusual project," Fosse said. "We're taking our time to make sure we build things the way we want them to go."
E-mail DI reporter Stephen Schmidt at:
stephen-schmidt@uiowa.edu
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