Studer Community Institute

ECUA weeding through proposals for trash pickup

December 20, 2014
/ William Rabb
/ community-dashboard

Seven companies from around the country this week submitted proposals to build and operate a vendor-funded, advanced waste management and recycling center near Pensacola, moving the area a step closer to becoming a regional recycling leader. “Seven companies. Isn't that amazing?” said Lois Benson, a longtime board member at the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, which requested the proposals. “That speaks volumes, I think.” ECUA worked with Escambia County officials this fall to hammer out a request for qualifications for the facility, which could cost $35 million to $50 million to build, funded entirely by the company. It could provide an estimated 120 to 220 jobs. ECUA staff will review the proposals and announce the top three by mid-January, said Randy Rudd, deputy executive director of shared services. “I have a lot of reading to do over the holidays,” he said. He hopes to recommend a company by April. If approved by the ECUA board and the Escambia County Board of Commissioners, construction of a state-of-the-art facility could take two years. The plan is being billed as a way for both Escambia County and ECUA to save money, reduce fuel consumption, and extend the life of the county's Perdido Landfill near the state line in Beulah. “Once we got over the hurdles with the county, and quit fighting, we found it's really a win-win for everyone to do this,” Benson said. Ultimately, the private vendor would be free to seek waste management and recycling business from surrounding counties, including Alabama counties. That would be a boon for the environment in some ways, because the center could recycle more than 85 percent of the household waste taken to the facility. A regional facility could also mean more truck traffic, but one site under consideration is at or adjacent to the county landfill, next to Interstate 10, where a proposed interchange would facilitate transportation and keep trucks off local roads, Rudd said. The agreement between the utility and the county suggests that while the county would lose the tipping fees it earns on every load of trash it accepts at the landfill, it would gain that much and perhaps more in hosting fees if the recycling facility is built at the landfill, Rudd said. One of the companies that submitted a proposal by Thursday's deadline was Infinitus Energy, which already accepts Escambia and ECUA recycling at its new Montgomery facility. After Escambia County's previous recycling company, West Florida Recycling, shut down and declared bankruptcy in May, the county, city and ECUA have been trucking household recyclables to Montgomery. Infinitus, recognized as an industry leader, based in Plantation, has operated the Montgomery facility since April, and has met with accolades from local officials. Residents there don't separate recyclable material, such as glass and plastic, for curbside recycling. It all goes into one container and Infinitus separates everything at the center. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, said Kristin Smith, a managing editor at Renewable Energy from Waste Magazine. “If your city already has a strong curbside program, then it might make sense to keep it like that,” Smith said. Curbside requires separate pickup, but presorts the recyclables and keeps them clean. On the other hand, a “one bin” approach captures all recyclables – avoiding the mistakes consumers can make in failing to sort some valuable materials, she said. ECUA already enjoys a 65 percent participation rate in its recycling program, and that number is expected to grow, Rudd said.

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ECUA weeding through proposals for trash pickup

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