KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
As of this week, the United States Coast Guard base in Kodiak has a new contractor for its recycling program. Nick’s Auto and Salvage of Bell’s Flats started serving the base on Monday. Threshold Recycling had held the contract.
Under the new contract, Nick’s will collect, process and recycle scrap metal from the base. The contract also includes used appliances and tires. An Integrated Support Command announcement says the base generates about 100 tons per year of recyclable scrap.
Nick’s Auto and Salvage owner Nick Troxel declined to comment for this story.
Until Friday, the contract for base recycling did belong to Threshold Recycling, a Kodiak non-profit organization.
Recycling Plant Manager Rick Pillans says the contract was given out without consideration to Threshold’s non-profit mission.
— (Recycling 1 32 sec "We’ve had a real … provide that service for them.")
Pillans says the base accounted for about 25 percent of the volume Threshold handled each year. He remains optimistic that Threshold can survive the loss of the Coast Guard contract by concentrating on increased recycling in the rest of the community:
— (Recycling 2 38 sec "The loss of the contract … at some other options.")
Pillans said the loss of the contract won’t by itself endanger Threshold’s program, but there are many factors at work affecting the recycling world these days:
— (Recycling 3 32 sec "You know, we’ll just … bring you back a dollar.")
The Coast Guard contract awarded to Nick’s Auto and Salvage is for one-year, with four additional option years. The Coast Guard says it is worth 1-point-one-one-million dollars.
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