New Recycling Center Could Open in Four Months

With good progress being made on construction, El Cerrito plans to open its in about four months, according to Melanie Mintz, environmental services manager for the city.

"We're planning on doing a kind of soft opening and then a kind of grand opening in April," Mintz said Thursday as she and other city officials, along with managers of the building project, reviewed the plans and progress at the site.

The new facility is being built at the same spot as the aging old one that was closed May 1, at the base of an old rock quarry at the eastern end of Schmidt Lane.

The new center will have added features not found at the old one, such as solar panels to provide the electricity and roof-top water collection for irrigation, said Alex Sinunu of the Pankow construction firm, which is building the new center. It will also have an electric vehicle charging station.

It will also recycle some of the old recycling center. Wood from the old facility will serve as exterior cladding on the new one, Sinunu said.

The new center will also accept more materials than the old one did. The list of the additional new materials is still being drawn up and will probably be finalized in December, Mintz said. The tentative list includes such added items as CFLs (fluorescent bulbs), used cooking oil, paint and carpet, said Garth Schulz, a city environmental analyst who manages the recycling center.

The new center will also offer improved access, with separation between the public and internal operations, Schultz said. People will enter via a one-way drive and park inside a semi-circle of drop-off bays for various materials.

Members of the public can also visit an on-site interpretative center with more information about recycling and reducing waste and pollution.

The most prominent features Thursday at the site were the large steel beams that will support the roof of the open shed sheltering the inside operations of the center.

There was no sign of the adminstration building other than its concrete pad. Mintz said the building is being constructed in three modular pieces in Sacramento that will be sent to El Cerrito. It will feature large windows and a central light-well so that it can rely on natural light.

The city is hoping to secure the highest green rating for the center, called LEED platinum.

"I like it," enthused City Councilwoman Janet Abelson, who attended the Thursday briefing. "I'm excited."