Dive Summary:
- West Florida Recycling may be forced to close due to finances while it also deals with approaching deadlines from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
- According to the Pensacola News, recent flooding destroyed hundreds of tons of material stored at the facility.
- The DEP has attempted multiple methods of communication to address the ongoing problems which have existed for a while, such as obtaining necessary permits and unacceptable site conditions; many deadlines must be met if the facilities is to continue to operate, prompting officials to discuss an emergency plan if the site is shut down.
From the article:
Summer flooding ruined hundreds of tons of materials at the only recycling facility for the region of Escambia County, draining the financial coffers of commodity revenue.
Tourat plans to reach out to the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) and request cooperation on a contingency plan. ECUA picks up residential and commercial trash in unincorporated Escambia while the city of Pensacola handles trash within its boundaries.
The ECUA board recently approved a 3.7 percent increase to its trash collection fee to raise emergency cash in case West Florida Recycling closes.
