Glenwood Springs’ new downtown recycling center will be much like the existing facility at the landfill, just more conveniently located.
It will feature recycling of glass, aluminum, plastic, paper, clothes, batteries and electronics; composting; and trash disposal for a fee.
“It’s $4 for a 30-gallon trash bag,” said city Public Works Director Matt Langhorst. While he called the fee “high,” the idea is that efficient recyclers with little waste could save money compared to curbside trash service.
The site at 13th Street and Pitkin Avenue will be behind a house at 1301 Pitkin, north of the parking lot of a housing development and adjacent to the Rio Grande Trail. The city also bought a lot to the north that will be used for vehicles leaving the center. The lot sits behind several homes on Pitkin Avenue.
Langhorst said that a 6-foot wooden perimeter fence will be installed along with some landscaping added on the Rio Grande side. He said the recycle containers will be about 7 feet tall, and with the trail being at a slightly lower elevation, the center will be mostly hidden from view.
A virtual informational meeting Wednesday evening offered a followup for anyone unable to attend a site visit on July 23. Only one resident spoke, neighbor Sarah Samuels, prompting city officials to declare the onsite visit a success.
Samuels’ house backs up on the lot to be used for egress, which is currently dirt. She asked about improvements to that lot.
“We would dig out a roadway profile and bring in asphalt millings. After you put rejuvenator on it, it becomes an asphalt road. That takes the dust away and out of backyards,” Langhorst said.
Another improvement favored by Langhorst is making 13th Street one-way heading toward the recycle center, though he said that would be the city engineer’s decision.
John Hesselman, who lives at 13th Street and Pitkin Avenue, owns one of two houses that use 13th.
“John would like it to be one way,” Langhorst said.
The owner of 1301 Pitkin Ave. was invited to the onsite meeting and has expressed no concerns to the city, Langhorst said.
Samuels asked about the expected number of vehicle trips per day.
“On a high day at the landfill, there are 100 cars in an entire day, which is a car every five minutes. … Saturday will probably be the busiest day,” Langhorst said.
“I’m going to be impacted. Fingers crossed it won’t be awful. It’s a quiet area back there right now. One hundred or more car trips a day will definitely be an impact,” Samuels said.
Councilor Shelley Kaup — one of three councilors sitting in on the virtual meeting along with Charlie Willman and Rick Voorhees — asked about lighting impacts to neighbors.
“The [security] light pole heights can be whatever we want, 10-12 feet. I want them as low as possible and as low wattage as possible,” Langhorst said.
Kaup said that dimmable LEDs with a motion sensor might work for the neighborhood.
Langhorst said one change from the city’s previous in-town recycling center is that this one is designed to move people through, not to encourage socializing.
“It’s a bit less hangout worthy,” he said.
Langhorst said the center would not be taking yard waste.
“If we took leaf and grass clippings, landscapers would overwhelm the site in one day. Fall collections at the rodeo grounds amount to a truck a day,” he said.
In response to Kaup’s question about the anticipated opening date, Langhorst said, “We’re shooting for October. We’re going to prep the whole site, get some bids. It’s a nice project for a contractor at the end of the year. If they’re working for 10 days I’d be surprised, it’s not a huge project.”
Hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
“This is a good deal for the citizens. They’ll feel they were listened to once again,” Councilor Rick Voorhees said.