Routt County's popular D&D Enterprises has reopened and is collecting recyclable scrap metal from the public and has already bailed and shipped 250,000 pounds of metal in the first three months of this year .
“We need to be here. This is essential for Routt County,” D&D co-owner Joe Duxa said Friday at the facility.
Co-owners Joe and Emily Duxa have operated their recycling business on Route 40, a few miles west of Steamboat Springs, since July 2005. Since Monday is his 54th annual Earth Day, Duxa likes to say he's contributing to the planet one pound at a time.
The operation diverts an average of 1.9 million pounds (2,300 cubic yards) of metal from landfills each year. The company bails out the scrap metal and transports it to a recycling plant near Salt Lake City.
One of the most unusual items recycled by this company is a giant metal rooster. Joe Duxa smiles as he remembers the fond stories sentimental car owners tell him when they drop off their old cars. Some of the non-functional recycled vehicles are set aside for Jaws of Life extraction exercises by local fire departments, with owners paying a small fee based on weight.
Most of the metal, from wagon wheels to broken bicycles, is picked up by local residents for free. However, Emily Douxa said the company does not currently operate a 24/7 metal removal service. This is because they are being abused by residents.
Currently, metal recycling drop-offs are monitored behind a gate and limited to the window Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In August, the Routt County Planning Department issued a “cease and desist” order to D&D Enterprises, requiring it to complete a special use permit with certain conditions. In order to resume service, the Duksa couple decided to take out a business loan using the property as collateral to pay for the necessary upgrades. Several renovations are currently underway, including the construction of a rainwater pond and a ramp with accessible restrooms to the front office.
D&D has a July 1 deadline to construct the stormwater pond and complete all building permit requirements, according to Routt County Planner III Alan Goldich. Owners said they are lining up to complete the work by the deadline.
The tall, feather-like flags that used to call attention to recycling services are no longer raised because of restrictions under the county's signage ordinance, but recycling operations have reopened since early January. Recyclers now have to drive past the front office. There, signs direct customers to the yard and indicate where to drop off certain items.
On Friday, material-handling machines brandished claws equipped with large electromagnets, picking up nails and other small pieces of metal from the ground. Near the back of the D&D property was a storage shed of beverage cans that the company collected from his Winter Wonder Grass festival. A large trackhoe with metal cutting shears and a grappler are ready.
Information about which metals are accepted for recycling can be found at DDmetalrecycle.com.. Metal items that are recycled for free include: aluminum brass, copper, cans, automobiles, dishwashers, drums, barrels, dryers, washing machines, electrical cords, furnaces, cast iron bathtubs and stoves, hot water heaters, and kitchens. Stoves, metal hoods, metal farm scraps, microwave ovens, autoradiators or baseboard radiators, wood stoves, metal door frames and fireplace inserts.
Recyclers pay $110 to pick up refrigerators that use Freon and $60 to pick up small motors that use oil and gas. Staff will help recyclers unload items. If a metal artist or resident wants to purchase something from the pile for reuse, the owners say they should come to the office and ask first.
