It’s new, it’s modular, modern and ready to go but New Earth Recycling Center hasn’t been able to recycle one thing or make one buck. It’s been sitting on the east side of Littickers on Voltaire waiting for the city to assist them in removing the roadblocks (read new permits required by the city) that have stalled its opening for 9 months. And it looks like it may take another 4 months or so and another $15,000 for Josh Turchine and his business partner. Once it opens, however, it will even recycle electronics.
Here’s a brief Fox5San Diego report on the situation (go see the video report).
The opening of a new recycling center in Ocean Beach has been in limbo for more than a year, as the business goes back-and-forth over what permits they would need.
One Earth Recycling Center, which moved from its original location to because of the sale of the Mission Valley mall, told KUSI that the issues stem from recent law changes regulating the permitting process along the state’s coast.
The city of San Diego said in a statement that there had also been some confusion when the Department of Development Services first began consulting with the recycling center about what permits it would need to operate.
Between the new changes and the mix-up, the recycling center says it might be another nine months before they can get the correct permits to open.
In the meantime, rent is still due on the otherwise ready-to-open facility — something that has already pushed them thousands of dollars into the red since the move.
“Obviously in hindsight, it’s not working out great for us. It’s been quite a money pit,” said Josh Turchin, co-owner of One Earth Recycling. “I still believe in this community, I think it’s a great place for us to be. It’s just we didn’t know what we didn’t know.”
