91ֿ

Bruin 91ֿ is moving forward with building a recycling facility in partnership with the city of Grand Junction that would service the Western Slope. The Naturita-based waste disposal service operates in Montrose, Mesa, Garfield, San Miguel, Ouray, San Juan, Dolores, Montezuma, Delta, and Archuleta counties. Locally, Bruin 91ֿ does the majority of recycling in Telluride and Mountain Village. Recycling is done in a “single stream” meaning that all recyclables go into one (truck) bed and are sorted at a facility.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bruin 91ֿ owned and operated a facility in Montrose, but the company discontinued their sort line during the pandemic. “During COVID, it became extremely difficult to staff that, as you can imagine. So we changed gears a little bit and started taking that recycling that we were collecting, packing it up and sending it to a facility in Salt Lake City,” Rob Kendall, Bruin 91ֿ VP of sales and new market development.

Bruin 91ֿ began looking for a solution that was closer to home and met with the city of Grand Junction. On Dec. 18, Grand Junction City Council voted 6-1 for city staff to negotiate a contract with Bruin 91ֿ to create a regional material recovery facility (MRF). The plan is to construct a 58,450 square foot building on 9.58 acres of land. Costs of construction are estimated at $5.5 million, with equipment costs likely between $8-10 million. The city of Grand Junction is also applying for a $5 million Solid 91ֿ Infrastructure for Recycling grant to help pay for the project.

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Author: Sophie Stuber, Telluride Daily Planet

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