The opportunity for free recycling of old cars and trucks, metal roofing and shelving, major appliances and anything else made of metal will end Sunday.
Juneau-based Channel Construction, which is operating under a short-term lease at the borough-owned former sawmill property at 6.3-Mile Zimovia Highway, will stop accepting scrap metal as it gets ready to pile up its barge with the last pieces of scrap metal and ship the load for recycling out of state.
The company will continue to accept cars, trucks and other metal at no charge 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday, according to an announcement from the borough.
After that, the company will shut down its operation.
“I definitely want to encourage people to take advantage of that while they can,” Public Works Director Tom Wetor said last Friday.
Residents brought 70 to 80 vehicles to Channel Construction’s drop-off site last year, Wetor said, making a sizable dent in the island’s inventory of junkers.
The company, which hauls scrap from around Southeast, has been collecting and shipping metal at the Wrangell waterfront site since early last year.
After Channel Construction closes its collection site, the only legal option for getting rid of scrap metal in Wrangell will be to bring it to the borough-operated transfer station on the north end of the island. But that will cost people.
Starting Monday, people can drop off aluminum at no charge at the transfer station on 3rd Avenue, but anything else — or mixed metals, even if they include aluminum — will cost $18 per cubic yard. There is a separate charge for old washers, dryers and refrigerators.
Getting rid of a vehicle will cost the owner $300, Wetor said. “We break even, at best,” he said of the charge to take a car or truck.
Whereas Channel Construction has larger equipment to flatten junked vehicles to stack on the barge, Wetor said the borough’s smaller equipment isn’t able to smash and break apart cars and trucks to fit easily into cost-effective containers for shipment south for recycling.
Whether bringing old vehicles, appliances, motors, metal roofing or anything else to Channel Construction or the borough transfer site, any oil, diesel, gasoline or other fluids must be drained before the item will be accepted.
“Additionally, for cars and trucks, please remove rubber tires before dropping off,” the borough advised.
Anyone with questions can call Channel Construction at 907-660-7552 or the borough Public Works Department at 907-874-3904.
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