Despite challenges in the recycling industry, Wyoming Waste Systems remains committed to recycling, according to Michelle Foote, Rock Springs site manager for WWS.
She said the company looked into building a facility to sort recyclable materials in Rock Springs, but said it was ultimately deemed economically unfeasible. She also said Pacific Steel and Recycling has stopped accepting cardboard, saying the price per ton has dropped from approximately $70 a ton five months ago to about $10 a ton currently.
Foote said WWS has shifted to working with the Ray Lovato Recycling Center in Rock Springs to ship recycled cardboard and is looking at other avenues to partner with the center. She said the Ray Lovato center is seeking to become a regional recycling center and has reached out to the Farson-Eden community to possibly expand recycling services.
Mixed recycling picked up from its curbside recycling service continues to be landfilled as work continues on repairing the city’s Solid Waste Transfer Station. Foote said WWS will start shipping the commingled recycling to a recycler once the station is brought back online.
A fire at the transfer station in September closed the facility, which resulted in WWS sending recyclable items to the landfill because it was unable to sort those materials.
In a previous interview, Foote said sending those materials to the landfill was meant to be a short term solution to the problem until the transfer station can be brought back online.
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