Agreement Reached on Montgomery’s Recycling Plant
The city of Montgomery and the Solid Waste Disposal Authority of the city of Montgomery, which is a coalition created by the city to operate the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), have announced that an agreement has been signed to acquire the recycling plant and adjacent lot from current owner and former operator, IREP, for $625,000 and other consideration.
In a statement released to Alabama News Network, Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said, “Although it’s been a long road, today marks a significant step toward bringing one of the most technologically advanced recycling facilities in the nation back online.” The mayor said:”We remain committed to our goal of protecting the environment, while providing a cost effective and efficient service to citizens. Our vision is to find a partner who can not only take over operations at the facility and succeed, but we want to find someone who will lead us into the future and set an example other cities can follow.”
Alabama News Network i-Team reporter Tim Lennox produced a story in February that highlighted the issues surrounding the plant and the options the city had in re-starting operations. Click here to watch our report.
The statement says that the agreement contemplates that IREP will promptly file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will request that the terms of the agreement be considered for approval by the bankruptcy court. The closing of the purchase will be held within five business days after the bankruptcy court’s approval of the agreement.
City officials then plan to find an organization capable of resuming operations at the recycling plant. According to the city’s statement, Finance Director Barry Crabb met with more than five potential operators over the past months and will continue meeting with interested parties. Any potential operator would have to agree to take the facility and process recycling without any additional financial commitments from the city or authority.
Opened in April 2014, the plant came from a public-private partnership with the goal of finding a forward-thinking and environmentally-conscious solution to Montgomery’s recycling needs. The city says recycling options still exist for Montgomery residents while the plant is offline. This is the list: http://www.montgomeryal.gov/live/recycling.
