Recycling center bolstered by $3M federal grant

PALMER — A $6.5 million community recycling center planned for the Mat-Su Borough has received its last piece of funding, setting the stage for its construction.

A $3 million grant awarded to the borough was the final amount needed before construction could begin, said Patty Sullivan, borough spokeswoman.

With the money, Sullivan said construction on the 23,600-square-foot building could start this coming spring. Once the recycling center starts taking shape, it will be the culmination of 11 years of work for those involved since its inception.

For Mollie Boyer, Valley Community Recycling Solutions executive director, the occasion is a relief.

“It’s like a really big weight came off my shoulders,” she said.

Boyer’s organization will manage and operate the new recycling facility, while the borough will own the building.

On Thursday, as volunteers and paid workers helped residents unload recyclable materials, Boyer walked around the center at the corner of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway and N. 49th State Street pointing out what will change with the new center. The temporary facility has been in operation in advance of the permanent facility’s construction. The new recycling center will be adjacent to the Central Landfill near the Animal Care and Regulation Shelter.

As a chilly wind whipped through a covered unloading area, Boyer said perhaps one of the best parts of a new building will be a heated, spacious interior.

Currently, recyclers pull up to a white dome tent to unload, constantly at the mercy of temperature and weather extremes.

Ducking inside to put heat packets in her gloves Thursday, Plant Manager Mary Lewis said she’s looking forward to having a modern facility to do her work. She’s also getting ready for a presumably larger workload.

“We’ll be able to accept more product” in the new facility, she said.

The new recycling center will be a pre-manufactured steel structure with two floors. According to the borough, the upstairs will contain office space and a classroom overlooking the recycling plant floor.

Also, the drop-off area for the downstairs recycling area will be covered.

Boyer said the ease and comfort of the new facility could spur more recycling by residents. What’s more, she said, will be the center’s ability to handle a larger quantity of recyclable material more quickly and efficiently.

Beyond having a new facility for residents to recycle trash, borough officials are touting what they call potential for up to 145 new spin-off jobs such as waste haulers and byproducts used for construction projects.

The expanded center could also help with VCRS’s education program, providing more space for students who come through the center to learn about recycling.

Even among all the excitement of the new digs, Boyer said she realizes once the recycling center is built the hard work is far from over.

Still, for now the excitement of more than a decade of hard work paying off is evident as Boyer speaks. She sums up with a simple statement her feelings upon hearing her organization would be operating out of a permanent building.

“It was a wonderful thing,” she said.