Recycle Sheds Provide Blank Canvas for Art

Recycle shed down at the spit. Photo courtesy of Threshold Services

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

Kodiak’s recycling facility, Threshold Services, maintains three sheds around town where people can drop off their recyclables, and Threshold is asking the community to make the sheds a little more visually appealing.

Threshold executive director Stephanie Mason says there’s one shack in the flats, one at the senior center, and one downtown at the spit.

She says they recently upgraded the spit location because members of the transient population had been sleeping inside the shed.

“Before, you used to be able to walk into the shack, and then there’s trashcans in there for each recyclable, so instead we put full doors on the front of the shack and we cut out holes for each recycle, so it’s like a deposit in each.”

Mason hopes that someone’s creativity will make the sheds a beautiful addition to Kodiak instead of an eye sore.

“Ideally, what I had envisioned was having these sheds be a little more inviting, having ‘em stand out in the community and be like what is that? And that’s a place where you can recycle, and we’re trying to make it a little bit more convenient for people to recycle because it’s an important thing that we need to all do.”

Mason says Threshold is working with the Arts Council to reach out to the community and solicit design proposals. With the help of a Healthy Tomorrows grant, they’ll offer each of the artists a $1,000 stipend to complete work and a supplies budget of up to $220 per shed.

Mason says additional money from the Healthy Tomorrows grant will go towards establishing a 24 / 7 drop-off area in front of Threshold.

“Which I believe was a service to the community in prior years. I, now, being the new director there, would like to give this service back to the community, because I understand people cannot make it during our business hours.”

Mason says the deadline for proposals is July 3, and they’ll notify the finalists on July 13.

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