Durango鈥檚 Phoenix Recycling has been granted a permit by La Plata County to build a combined wood waste recovery yard and compost facility on County Road 307. 鈥淚n a perfect world, we hope to address the problem of highly biodegradable materials going into the landfill and producing methane with the increased desire in the local community to mitigate forest fire risk,鈥� Phoenix Recycling owner Mark Thompson said.
Thompson said he hopes to break ground on the roughly 15-acre development, which will be located across the street from Williams Ignacio Natural Gas Plant, some time next year, although dates are not yet finalized. He anticipates the project costing between $1 and $2 million, and plans are in the works to hire several additional employees to help operate the facility.
The county permitting process took about three years, Thompson said, and ongoing state-level recycling management changes are expected to continue to consume time and attention as the planning and construction process moves forward.