January 29, 2014 at 3:24 p.m.
New recycling center now open in Eagle River
New recycling center now open in Eagle River
Eagle Waste and Recycling has opened a new recycling facility in the old Surgipath building at 701 West Surgipath Lane.
"Eagle Waste and Recycling decided to do something pretty extraordinary up in this area," said Jim Whittinghill, sales manager. "It's needed, there's nothing like it - it's a single-stream recycling facility."
Single-stream recycling means that people will no longer have to go through and separate all of their recyclables. Instead, everything can be lumped together and brought to the facility. And they do mean everything.
"All recycling - all mixed, all paper products, all plastics, aluminum, tin, glass, small metal objects, anything with a cord, a toaster, an old pot or pan - it can all be put in one container, in whatever fashion, and dumped," Whittinghill said.
"The machine picks it all up and it goes into a large metering drum that fluffs it up before going to a pre-sort line where it's separated. ... You don't have to separate anything, you don't have to sort anything, you don't need bags - we don't want bags - it's all placed in there as it is."
"It allows for easy recycling. It will blow your mind if you come and see it," Whittinghill added. "It'll process 18 to 24 tons an hour of single-stream recycling that's dumped on the floor."
Not only is the facility bringing streamlined recycling to the Northwoods for the first time, it's also bringing much needed jobs to the area.
"We've hired an additional 17 people so we were able to bring more jobs to the Northwoods," Whittinghill said.
"95 percent of the companies in the United States would never have put this facility here because they're normally put by big cities because of instant markets. We have to work very hard to fill this facility up."
There is a drop-off point at the facility so anyone can bring their recyclables in for processing.
"We have a drop-off site that people can bring things to. We have e-waste collection if a computer goes bad or a monitor goes bad, all of it," Whittinghill said.
Above everything else, Whittinghill said the company is proud to be creating local jobs.
"We believe in local, family-owned and operated businesses. A lot of people don't realize - and this is not a knock against a national company - about half the money that you spend with a national company not only leaves the area but it goes out of state," Whittinghill said.
"Every nickel spent with Eagle Waste and Recycling stays right here in the Northwoods and keeps on, just like recycling does, going around to help."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.