Haines Friends of Recycling is about two months away from purchasing a piece of property near downtown, where it plans to relocate.  The non-profit hopes to build a covered collection area, which will accept almost all plastics.  And, plans for the new location include a modernized indoor facility with bear-safe storage, plumbing and a plastic upcycling center.

 

Haines Friends of Recycling had a big birthday this year – 25 years of service.  And they’ve been celebrating with upgrades.  

Chairperson Melissa Aronson told KHNS that the non-profit launched a new website last week. And they recently put down earnest money on a plot of land near downtown. 

“We’re 25 years old,” Aronson said. And so now we’re looking at this whole new building as moving into our second quarter century.  And it’s time to step it up.”

Aronson says that the Friends are ready to relocate in an effort to expand their operations. And they are looking to stop renting.  The current location is on a month-to-month lease. 

They’re also planning to have a new machine that can take plastic trash and convert it into usable plastic – things like picnic benches and raised garden beds.

Right now they are waiting on three operating permits, before they can officially sign the paper to own the new site. She says if all goes well, they will purchase the land in mid-May.  Then they will prep the site this summer, and start construction on a new building in summer of 2025.

The site sits across from Bigfoot Auto on the highway and is currently owned by Genny and Harry Rietze. Aronson says that a local, anonymous donor offered to purchase the property after learning about their plight to relocate.

She says this land is the fourth site the nonprofit has considered. When I asked her how long the search has been underway, she shook her head and said, “A thousand years.”  

“One thing we’ve learned in this process is to not trust anything,” Aronson said. “We actually seriously began all of this work last year in February.”

At the last Haines Borough Assembly meeting, several Borough Assembly members expressed surprise that the Friends planned to buy property from a private landowner. The Borough had offered to donate a few plots of land to the recycling center.  

One of the proposed plots was prime real estate, next to the Borough’s Public Safety Building.  Aronson says that the location would have been perfect for convenient drop-offs, and for giving tours to cruise ships. She says she was excited to show tourists the future upcycling plastic program.   But after evaluation that plot was deemed unsafe.  The foundation was suspect, and there were concerns that a facility would sink into the ground.

The latest proposed Borough donation was approved by the Planning Commission.  That site is located next to the landfill.  Aronson told KHNS that while the plot had many positives, it also had a lot of challenges. 

The first concern was bears because of the high bear activity there.  The second challenge was timing.  Aronson says Haines Friends of Recycling needs to secure a new site quickly because of federal infrastructure grant deadlines.  They know that the donation from the Borough could take upwards of two years to process, and by then much of the federal infrastructure money will be unavailable.

And the third challenge with the landfill site was the cost of electricity, water and sewer.

“So much expense for putting in the infrastructure,” Aronson said. “That it was going to cost us almost half of this property that we bought was going to cost us.  Just for putting in the infrastructure.”So, the recycling organization decided to purchase a plot downtown. The new facility, with the plastic upcycling program, will require both water and three-phase power. I asked Aronson, who is a retired science teacher,  to explain what three-phase power means. 

“It’s enough umph to make this machine work,” Aronson said. “I could teach all kinds of science, but electricity to me is incomprehensible magic.”

The new recycling facility will also house a resale store, similar to the Scrap Box at the current location. It will also sell gardening supplies, electrical items and construction supplies on a donation basis. 

Aronson says that with the recent snow melt, the Scrap Box has switched to its summer hours. It is open Thursdays and Fridays from 9-12 and Saturdays from 10-2.