Materials gathered for recycling in Pensacola and across the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority service area will continue to be landfilled through nearly the end of the month, an announcement from the city said.

The ECUA Materials Recycling Facility has been closed since June 16 due to the failure of a metering belt and supply chain issues that have delayed replacement of the equipment, according to information provided on the ECUA website.

During the three-month period the plant has been offline, material separated and placed in recycling bins is being collected with regular household and commercial waste and, "unfortunately," being deposited with it in local landfills, the website said.

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Approximately 63,000, or 75%, of ECUA customers participate in the agency's voluntary recycling program, according to spokesperson Nathalie Bowers. 

When in operation, the recycling facility processes approximately 166 tons of recyclables daily, Bowers said in an email. The MRF processed 31,245 tons in fiscal year 2021. If the Materials Recycling Facility opens as planned Sept. 26, it will have been closed for 102 days.

In a news release of its own, the city of Pensacola alerted residents that recycling cans for city customers will be picked up by garbage trucks.

"This will not only prevent wear and tear on the city's recycling vehicles, but also save fuel costs and reduce carbon emissions," the city release said. "The city will also be able to perform maintenance on recycling trucks and ensure that staff time is used most efficiently."

Both ECUA and the city of Pensacola encouraged residents to continue to separate their recycling during the extended MRF closure to remain in the habit of doing so.

The metering belt that failed, along with a second aging belt, had been slated for replacement during the 2021-2022 fiscal year, according to the ECUA website. The facility's governing board had budgeted $82,000 for the purchase of two replacement belts at its February meeting. 

"This metering belt is a substantial piece of equipment and vital to the function of the MRF process," Bowers said in her email. "It weighs about 60,000 pounds, is made of steel, and is located at the entry part of the plant to control and feed the material as it begins the sorting process."

The facility cannot operate without the metering belts, Bowers said.

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The replacement parts were most recently due to have been received Sept. 2. On Thursday, Bowers said the delivery is now expected by Sept. 9.

"Please understand that this schedule is still subject to change, pending the actual receipt of the metering belt," she said. 

Plans at this time call for a staged re-opening. On Monday, Sept. 26, the recycling facility will begin processing recycling materials from all clients except ECUA customers and customers within the city limits of Pensacola. 

"This will allow ECUA to make necessary adjustments and tensioning of new belts while only handling about 30% of its full-volume flows the first three days of that week," the website said. 

ECUA and city of Pensacola customers constitute approximately 70% of the total customer count, the website said.

On July 26, ECUA announced it was pushing back reopening the facility until Sept. 9, the day the belts are now expected to arrive. The initial delay was due to the conveyor belt supplier pushing its equipment shipping date back to Aug. 22.

Bowers said ECUA has taken advantage of the extended facility downtime to perform required maintenance. Rollers, bearings and tail pulleys have been replaced and hydraulic equipment maintenance has been conducted, the website said. Thirteen other conveyor belts have also been replaced. 

Bowers estimated the cost spent on replacing materials at $350,000. 

In July 2021, the recycling facility was shut down after a fire. After that incident recycling material was landfilled until the second week of October.