By Dan Hust
MONTICELLO — February 1, 2011 — Though initially expected to begin in January, single-stream recycling isn’t yet up and running in Sullivan County.
“We’ve had some construction delays with the new facility we’re building,” Recycling Coordinator Bill Cutler explained this week.
The county is nearing completion of the 38,000-square-foot transfer station and materials recovery facility (MRF) adjacent to the closed county landfill in Monticello.
Harsh weather in October and November contributed to the delays in the $7.5 million project, said Cutler.
According to County Manager David Fanslau, the transfer station will be the first to open – as early as next week, pending approval from the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
The MRF, however, is the section of the facility which will sort recyclables so residents don’t have to. That’s the “single-stream” county officials have been promising – ending the current need for citizens to separate the various recyclables. (You’ll still need to keep your recyclables separate from your non-recyclable garbage.)
Currently awaiting a permit from the DEC, the MRF will likely not be ready for use until the end of February, and the county still has yet to ink a contract with a private company to haul away that material.
“The [Legislature’s] Public Works Committee will consider a resolution to authorize a contract with Hudson Baylor at their meeting on Thursday, February 10,” said Fanslau, “and I would anticipate that the contract service would commence about March 1, 2011.
“In the interim, the county has arranged to continue with the current recycling operation through February.”
Fanslau doesn’t expect a financial hit from the delay.
“Recycling operations provided a net revenue in 2010,” he explained. “Therefore, unless there is a significant drop in pricing for recyclable commodities, there should not be any increased costs incurred by the county during this transition period.”