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Recycling Resumes In Santa Rosa County
July 22, 2014
Recycling resumed in Santa Rosa County recently when a contract with the Emerald Coast Utility Authority (ECUA) to transport recyclable material from the recycling transfer station at the Central Landfill in Milton was approved by the commission. Residents who previously had curbside recycling will see no change in service from their curbside providers.
At this time two recycling drop off sites are available for residents that do not have curbside recycling. Recycling can be dropped off at no charge at the Central Landfill located at 6337 Da Lisa Road in Milton and Jay Transfer Station located at 3786 Transfer Station Road in Jay. Residents who do not currently have curbside recycling are encouraged to contact their service provider to inquire if curbside recycling is an available service option.
Additionally, the county is currently exploring expanding the solid waste service provider franchise to areas north of the Yellow River. A franchise agreement would mean that only one hauler would be able to provide residential curbside service in a specified area, it would not impact business or commercial accounts. If approved, service could begin as soon as January 1, 2015 and is expected to include residential curbside recycling, yard waste and bulky waste pickup in addition to household solid waste services.
Comments
7 Responses to “Recycling Resumes In Santa Rosa County”
Larry Walker has outlined where and how the ECUA handles and will handle recyclable materials. However, I do not agree with Larry when he says dumpsters are a second rate way to go on recyclables. I do agree you will get people who put non recyclables in these areas but if handled properly (i.e. identifying those individuals via information contained in the trash) then writing them a fine of $500.00 for littering, that would stop many people from doing it. SR County has used the dumpsters, I have used the dumpsters a lot and you will get more recyclables that way or people will just put them in with the regular trash. Dumpsters are the way to go if you really want to have people recycle.
Comments on a few points in other comments:
1. ECUA in Escambia County has never had dumpsters for recyclables. Those that were out were provided by either the City or the County Commission. Both the City of Pensacola and the Escambia County Commission went for several weeks without a recycling reception center to which they could deliver their recyclables; therefore, there was no real sense in either of them having separate collection of recyclables during that period. The County, as I understand it, still has no place to deliver its recyclables and therefore is still landfilling any recyclables that are received by its Department of Solid Waste.
2. For a time, the Santa Rosa Commision also had no way of delivering its recyclables to a receiving center; hence, it had no recourse but to landfill recyclables for a time. However, the SR Commission did not accept that situation; instead, it entered into an interlocal agreement with ECUA to have SR recyclables delivered to the receiving center in Montgomery to which ECUA was hauling its own recyclables. ECUA has a two-year contract for the Montgomery facility to accept ECUA recyclables, and SR County is now piggy-backing on that arrangement. ECUA delivers SR recyclables to Montgomery, at no cost to SR County. This arrangement has been in operation for several weeks.
In my opinion, the SR County Commission has served its citizens well in this matter, finding a way to continue recycling at no additional cost. By comparison, the City of Pensacola is now hauling its recyclables to Montgomery, but at a considerable expense; and the Escambia County Commission is putting all solid waste in Perdido Landfill.
3. Putting out dumpsters for reception of recyclables is a second-rate way to operate a recyclables program. The reason: Some people use the recycling dumpsters for general garbage disposal. Recycling dumpsters even serve as the last resting place of many a household pet. Recyclables collected by means of dumpsters have a much higher rate of contamination and spoilage than do recyclables collected at the household by use of a can designated for recyclables. As SR County adopts a house-to-house sanitation program–including separate collection of recyclables– in the north end, it would do well to discontinue the use of recycling dumpsters. In fact, if SR recyclables have an excessive rate of spoilage, the Montgomery company may require either (a) that the County end the use of recycling dumpsters or (b) that the County pay a surcharge for the right to have its recyclables accepted by the Montgomery facility.
4. One reader asks why ECUA does not operate a receiving center for recyclables in Escambia County, so that jobs could be provided locally. ECUA does not wish to own and operate such a facility: We think that it can be better done by a private company. Unfortunately, the company that did perform that role–West Florida Recycling Inc.–was inadequately capitalized, had an inadequate physical facility, and eventually declared bankruptcy. It was the sudden closure of that company that created the local crisis for recycling, as all recyclables collectors had no place to which to deliver their recyclables.
As to a new and better company moving into Escambia County, spending $15 million to build a facility, and providing local jobs (150-220), it cannot be done at present because the Escambia County Commission has adopted a County ordinance prohibiting the construction of any new solid-waste facilities in the county. Consequently, the leading company likely to construct such a facility is likely to go to either Santa Rosa County or Baldwin County.
For Bob C:
ECUA does have one drop-off site located on the ECUA campus at Ellyson Industrial Park. The drop-off site is on Sturdevant Street (off Copter Road), between the old airplane hangar and the ECUA Water Quality Laboratory. Items accepted at this drop-off site are the regular recyclables that are permitted for disposal in the ECUA residential curbside recycling container. Household hazardous waste, bulky recyclables and yard waste are not accepted at this site.
I hope that helps.
Nathalie
@ William,
Thank you for the clarification.
Guess I should ask my commissioner when / if they will be returned.
>>>ECUA in Escambia Co. used to have large dumpsters set throughout the county for drop off of recyclable materials.
Those dumpsters were a service of Escambia County, not ECUA.
ECUA in Escambia Co. used to have large dumpsters set throughout the county for drop off of recyclable materials.
Those were removed “after the flood” and have not been replaced in all locations.
Just wondering, will they be put back so we can recycle.?
Why is there not an ECUA recycling station in Escambia County to help provide jobs that are seriously needed.?
I for one, will not become a hauler of recycles to either of the Transfer Stations.
All cans , glass, paper & plastics will go into my garbage container to be picked up twice a week as before.
I believe we had a good thing going and our leaders don’t care to recycle. They would rather see these items back out in the woods and along our roads and highways. Oh and by the way Congrats to those at the central land fill for overcoming on how to build Mountains.