FNSB Central Recycling Facility runs public tours for America Recycles Day

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - A year after reopening to the public, the Fairbanks North Star Borough Central Recycling Facility (CRF) is spending a day offering tours to interested residents to highlight the progress that has been made since then.

Starting with its re-opening on November 1, 2022, facility is being operated by Green Star of Interior Alaska (GSIA).

According to Matt Pearson, Recycling Manager for the CRF, “The current contractor has been able to keep up with the incoming material fairly well, so much so that they have begun opening two hours earlier for the general public to start dropping off.”

Lisa Pullock, General Manager of GSIA, said, “We’re super excited about the progress. We’ve become more efficient in some of our processes and become able to produce more trucks of recyclables than we ever were before.”

On Wednesday, November 15, residents will have the opportunity to tour the building for free. “They’ll be going around the inside of the facility, showing you the different baled material, showing some of the material that’s acceptable and non-acceptable, and then it’ll also be showing the balers in action and the finished product being prepared for shipping,” explained Pearson.

The event is timed to coincide with America Recycles Day, an event celebrated around the country. “There are still a surprising number of people that don’t know the central recycling facility is here, and we’d like to show the community what we do so they can become more invested in the process,” said Pullock.

Tours are scheduled to start every half hour beginning at 10:00 a.m., with the last tour taking off at 5:00 p.m.

Attendees will learn how recycling in Fairbanks operates, and witness the scale of operations happening in the interior. According to Pullock, “It’s pretty amazing to see the amount of cardboard that comes in here, and how quickly it becomes baled and shipped out.”

The facility can process various kinds of paper, cardboard, aluminum, number 1 and 2 plastics, and even electronics.

To expand income, they’ve also begun separately sorting out office paper and natural HDPE, which is found in translucent milk jugs. “As we become more efficient in our processes, we’re able to sort those materials and earn more money for the borough and the Central Recycling Facility.”

Residents can still use the facility to drop off materials for recycling during the tour day.

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