Private recycling center in Weiser a possibility, local contractor says

A local contractor has plans to open a recycling location for Weiser residents, filling a void left by the recent closure of the Evelyn Stover Recycling Center in Weiser.
 James Cannon told Washington County commissioners last week that he bought the compactor from the now-closed Weiser recycling center and plans to go into the recycling business at a location at the corner of Sunnyside and Clabby roads across from Champion Homes.
 Cannon said he wants to make it convenient so people can drive in and out and drop off recyclables. He plans to collect everything that the closed Weiser recycling location accepted, starting with cardboard, aluminum and tin. Cardboard would be baled and stored on site until he can get a good price for it.
 He also plans to recycle concrete by crushing it into three-fourths of an inch gravel-sized pieces and selling it to contractors. He has been stockpiling concrete at the Sunnyside Road location.
 “Why not recycle it and resell it to contractors?” he said.
 Cannon said he will save the county and taxpayers money because the recycled items he takes will not end up at the county-run transfer station and won’t have to be hauled to Clay Peak landfill in Payette County with all the the rest of the trash.
 “If I am taking it, no tax dollars are spent,” he said.
 Cannon said he does demolition work and excavation in his contracting business. He said he has liability insurance that would cover the recycling business.
 Commissioners were receptive to the idea of a privately run recycling program. They invited Cannon to come back to inform them further of his plans when he has more of the details worked out.
 “We definitely like the idea of you stepping up and trying to make it work privately,” commissioner Kirk Chandler said.
 Cannon asked commissioners if he could use the canvas roof that covered the Evelyn Stover Recycling Center in Weiser at his location on Sunnyside Road on a borrowing arrangement. That way, people who wanted to recycle could be out of the sun and rain.
 Commissioners said it was unlikely he could use a county-owned piece of property at his private recycling business. Plus, the county road and bridge department already expressed an interest in the canvas roof to cover a sand pile.
 “It would just be hard for the county to do it because of our rules. We couldn’t just work out something with you without offering it to everybody else,” Chandler said, “and we do have a use for it.”
 After many years in operation, the Evelyn Stover Recycling Center in Weiser closed on July 1. The facility had been managed by nonprofit WICAP since last October, and before WICAP the center had been operated by the nonprofit Weiser River Resource Council.
 Depressed prices for recycled commodities and a lack of volunteers forced officials with WICAP to close the facility. Prices for alumnium were down and there is no market for recycled cardboard any longer. The cost to recycle, such as baling wire and propane for the forklife, along with transportation expenses, are up but there isn’t any money coming in, WICAP official Steve Morningstar said.
 On Friday, there was nothing left at the former recycling center on 9th Street. All the signs and bins were gone, along with the forklift and canvas structure that covered the center. The forklift belonged to the city and the canvas roof belonged to the county. The compactor was owned by Western Recyling.