City of Columbia working to restore power to damaged equipment at recycling facility

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is working to restore power to damaged equipment at its recycling facility after an EF-1 tornado destroyed the building.

Utilities spokesperson Jason West said demolition is underway and debris removal is going well.

"I believe the process is moving forward at a quicker pace than expected," West said in an email Wednesday afternoon.

The city hopes to at least get a portion of the recycling program restarted, but West said it depends how much damaged equipment is salvageable.

"The goal is to divert as much material away from the landfill as possible depending on how much of the machinery is usable," West said.

Once demolition is complete and the city sees how much equipment is saved there may be an opportunity to build a temporary covering for the machinery to help protect it from elements.

On April 20, an EF-1 tornado destroyed the facility off Peabody Road. The destruction caused the city to suspend the collection of curbside recycling materials and drop-off centers. Curbside pickup then resumed at the end of last month, however it is being taken to the landfill.

West said the city made the decision so residents would "maintain the habit" of curbside recycling. Last year the city collected about 11,000 thousands of recycling material, West said.