No Interruption To Residential Curbside Recycling In Lafayette

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL) -- An official with the Recycling Foundation says that collection of residential curbside recycling will continue, despite a two-alarm fire that destroyed the company’s facility on Saturday afternoon, but the company’s public recycling drop-off site is temporarily closed.

The Recycling Foundation, as part of  its contract with Lafayette Consolidated Government, is required to operate a drop-off site within Lafayette Parish for individuals who are not served by curbside recycling, but  who wish to recycle, according to Environmental Quality Manager Mark Pope.

Steven Cheatham, Division Manager with the Recycling Foundation, said that the public is currently not allowed to drop recyclables at the 107 I-G Lane location, the site of the fire, which has been an established drop-off site for years.

“We’re working on the details of establishing a drop-off site, and as soon as the best location for a drop-off can be determined, we will release that information to the public,” Cheatham said.

That decision is anticipated by early next week, he said.

While the cause of the fire is under investigation, Cheatham estimated that over 100 one-ton bales of cardboard, along with other recyclable materials fueled the fire.

“The fire resulted in a total loss of our processing equipment, as well as our 30,000 square foot building,” he said.

“Besides the recycling drop-off site being temporarily closed, the public will not feel any loss of service with their curbside recycling collection due to this situation,” he said.