Recycling Center and Resource Recovery Park Design
The facility utilizes just over one acre of a 4.3 acre lot. The current recycling center, which is managed by the Department of Sustainable Services, has a footprint of 5,500 square feet of enclosed space and houses sorting and baling equipment and office space on the second floor. There are two covered but unenclosed storage areas totaling 1,950 square feet. There is also a glass pulverizer and uncovered storage for glass, aluminum and recycling containers. The balance of the site is used for parking and vehicular access and residential recycling drop off. The City owns an adjacent 15.2 acre lot, a portion of which will be used for the center's expansion.
The City operates an electronics collection event at the recycling center twice every year in the spring and fall. Recycling center staff must temporarily relocate many stored items for this event.
The amount of materials collected and processed by the City has been growing steadily since the inception of the recycling program in 1993. That first year the recycling center processed 389 tons of material, then 2,629 tons in 2000 and 3,804 tons by 2009. The amount of material processed at the center has strained by facility to its limit.
The City is involved in a number of planning efforts that will result in higher diversion rates and a new facility is essential for this happen. Upon completion of the new facility the City will adopt single stream curbside recycling, which will result in a significant increase in the amount of materials being recycled. The City is also embarking on a process to make Durango a zero waste community, meaning Durango must be able to provide more recycling capacity, collect more types of materials and promote reduction and reuse as a part of its zero waste initiative.
