The City of Pensacola will shut down its Summit Boulevard Recycling Center on May 5 and relocate the drop-off site to 100 W. Leonard St., the address of the city's Sanitation Services Transfer Center, after years of contamination rates that rendered most of the material unusable.
Contamination at the Summit location ran between 85 and 90 percent, meaning nearly five tons of material collected each week was being sent to the Perdido Landfill rather than recycled. The new Transfer Center location is fenced and staffed, designed to give residents sorting assistance and education on proper recycling procedures.
'Summit's current contamination rates are approximately 85 to 90 percent, so a secure, staffed location at a 90 percent decrease in operational cost is a win for everyone,' Mayor D.C. Reeves said.
The numbers behind that shift are significant. Annual operating costs at the Summit location run $300,000. The Transfer Station site will cost $30,000 per year, a reduction of $270,000. City officials said the staffed model is expected to reduce contamination by screening material before it enters the collection containers.
Beginning May 5, the Leonard Street facility will be open to city residents on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. Accepted materials include cardboard, #1 PET plastics, #2 plastics, steel cans and aluminum cans. All cardboard must be broken down flat and all items must be clean and free of food residue. Household garbage and yard waste are not accepted.
The city is asking residents to presort recyclables before arriving to speed the process. The old Summit Boulevard location will close permanently when the new site opens.