New Way of Recycling Debuts in Kodiak

Marina Cummiskey/KMXT
Threshold Recycling Services recently changed their self-serve recycling sheds into a drive-thru operation. Folks simply drive up with their recyclables and volunteers help unload and sort everything.
KMXT’s Marina Cummiskey went to Threshold’s new “Recycling Haven” Friday and filed this report.
To learn more about Threshold’s new recycling haven tune into KMXT’s Talk of the Rock Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. Reinke will discuss the new procedures, feedback he’s received and the future of recycling on Kodiak.

— (Recycling Haven 1 :03 “Intro sound. Can and bottle sorting sounds.”)
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— (Recycling Haven 2 :03 “Intro sound. Beeping and sorting.”)
It’s a sunny afternoon at Threshold’s Recycling Haven, and volunteers are busy sorting paper, cardboard, plastic and cans. The recycling haven has been getting busier since they started two weeks ago, but as one volunteer said, the community is still getting used to it.
— (Recycling Haven 3 :08 “It’s definitely busy. I think the community has not grasped it to their liking yet, but it’s coming along.”)
Part of the change with the recycling center is the hours. Before, you could drop off your recycling whenever you wished, but now the drive-thru is only open 35 hours a week. Threshold’s Director Ken Reinke, talks about the new hours.
— (Recycling Haven 4 :06 “Some people don’t think the hours are all that great. But I had to choose 35 hours.”)

— (Recycling Haven 5 :05 “The recycle for Mat-Su Valley, with 90,000 people is only open 22 hours a week.”)
Part of the reason for the hours is whenever the recycling haven is open it has to be manned by least two volunteers. While they currently have the needed volunteers, they are always looking for more.
— (Recycling Haven 6 :10 “I actually had three people yesterday come in and ask about volunteering and when can they get volunteer hours, which right now, is any of the time we are open.”)

— (Recycling Haven 7 :06 “Everybody is welcome it’s a great way to help the community.”)
Reinke says it helps everybody in the community, even the people who don’t recycle, because it brings down the cost of recycling. It is a big step toward a sustainable Kodiak. The drive-thru also helps people learn what is and isn’t recyclable. Reinke said that overall, the drive-thru is just better for the Kodiak community.
— (Recycling Haven 8 :01 “Isn’t that a good thing?”)
For KMXT, I’m Marina Cummiskey.