Lake Oswego, Oregon, to keep recycling facility open

Lake Oswego, Oregon, to keep recycling facility open
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The Portland (Oregon) Tribune  reports the Far West Recycling facility in Lake Oswego will remain open following the expiration of its 10-year lease Aug. 31, 2016. 

“There were a lot of question marks about it for a while,” Far West President Keith Ristau told the newspaper. “With the high cost of running that thing and commodity markets being so low, we were losing quite a bit of money per month. We had to do something.” 

According to Ristau, the facility could not continue to operate under its current lease for an additional decade. Fortunately, the company was able to negotiate a month-to-month lease with the property’s landlord. 

In addition, officials will have the company test several cost-saving measures to remain open. The facility will have its own on-site dumpsters, which it will transport with its own trucks, rather than hiring out for the service. The company also plans to introduce a baseline fee for all drop-off customers, the Tribune reports.

“We did everything we could to get the cost down,” said Ristau. “If everybody chipped in $2, we could probably break even, which is all we want. It’s not a for-profit corporation; it’s more of a community service than anything.”

The Lake Oswego center collects about 18 tons of material per month from residents, as well as from visitors from nearby cities, according to Yard Boss Skip Stewart.

“If we closed down, the next closest facility is at Highway 217 and Denny Road [in Beaverton], and no one wants to fight the 217 traffic,” Stewart told the newspaper. “This has gotten to be home. I put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this place down here. It was good when I got here, but it’s even better now.”

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Source: Recycling Today
Lake Oswego, Oregon, to keep recycling facility open
<![CDATA[The Portland (Oregon) Tribune  reports the Far West Recycling facility in Lake Oswego will remain open following the expiration of its 10-year lease Aug. 31, 2016. “There were a lot of question marks about it for a while,” Far West President Keith Ristau told the newspaper. “With the high cost of running that thing and commodity markets being so low, we were losing quite a bit of money per month. We had to do something.” According to Ristau, the facility could not continue to operate under its current lease for an additional decade. Fortunately, the company was able to negotiate a month-to-month lease with the property’s landlord. In addition, officials will have the company test several cost-saving measures to remain open. The facility will have its own on-site dumpsters, which it will transport with its own trucks, rather than hiring out for the service. The company also plans to introduce a baseline fee for all drop-off customers, the Tribune reports.“We did everything we could to get the cost down,” said Ristau. “If everybody chipped in $2, we could probably break even, which is all we want. It’s not a for-profit corporation; it’s more of a community service than anything.”The Lake Oswego center collects…