Threshold to Make Recycling More Convenient

The current recycling sheds at Threshold will be replaced with a drive-through structure to protect material and people from the elements. Brianna Gibbs photo

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT

Threshold Recycling Services is one of many local organizations that will benefit from state capital budget funding. The recycling center will receive $50,000 to build a new building making recycling easier for community members and Threshold employees. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs has more.

Pulling up to Threshold Recycling Services can often be a nightmare during one of Kodiak’s regular rainstorms. The roofed plywood enclosures only do so much to protect someone from sideways rain as they frantically try to sort paper from plastic before their fingers go numb from the cold. In the end, most surrender to the elements and leave the soggy mess to the employees at Threshold who must also brave the unfortunate weather to complete the tasks left behind by well-intended locals, often wasting time and money.

But all that is about to change. Thanks to funding from the state capital budget, Threshold will receive $50,000 to build an all new drive-thru recycling facility that will protect employees and local recyclers from the weather.

— (Threshold Recycling 1: :16 sec "The master plan is to … to 45 here in Kodiak.")

That’s Ken Reinke, the executive director of Threshold Recycling Services. Reinke said poor weather keeps a lot of people from coming to the current recycling station on Von Scheele Way. He said he thinks offering people a spot where they can keep dry will encourage more people to recycle. The new building will have designated hours of operation so employees can be available to help people sort their recycling and teach them about what the center can and cannot accept.

— (Threshold Recycling 2: :29 sec "Well the thing is if … cost of that problem.")

Reinke plans to have the building, which will look like a Quonset hut, fully operational this fall. He is in the process of purchasing the Quonset hut kit right now and said he’d like to have a community work party to put it together when it arrives.

I’m Brianna Gibbs.

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