Construction material recycling operation approved in Eagle County, Colorado

A new construction and demolition (C&D) materials repurposing operation called Newby Aggregate Recycling has been approved in Eagle County, Colorado.

As reported by Vail Daily, the Eagle County Board of Commissioners has been granted a special use permit for the 32.4 acre project—part of a 67-acre property owned by Bob Newby that is bordered by the Union Pacific Railroad and U.S. Highway 6 to the south, the biomass plant to the west, Colorado Division of Wildlife public lands to the north, and the Gypsum Ranch Sand and Gravel Pit to the east.

The recycling operation will include material stockpiles, an access road, a material crushing area, batch plants, and other facility areas. The project planners argued the land’s history as a gravel pit is what makes the property an attractive option for C&D recycling.

“We are utilizing a previous disturbed industrial site that has only been partially reclaimed,” said project planner Scot Hunn.

Ben Langenfeld, representative for Newby Aggregate Recycling, told Vail Daily the new recycling operation would be on the leading edge of a growing industry.

“Most of the material that comes out of construction demolition is recyclable,” said Langenfeld. “But most of this material goes to the landfill or is illegally dumped, unfortunately.”

As with any industrial use, Langenfeld noted the project must address its impacts on neighboring property owners and the community at large. Those impacts include air quality, noise, visual impact and traffic.

Newby Aggregate Recycling must comply with air quality standards set by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Air Pollution Control Division, which regulates aggregate processing facilities and asphalt batch plants. The facility will be required to obtain proper permitting for these operations. Additionally, Langenfeld said the operation will maintain an air quality hot line so members of the public can report concerns.

Langenfeld said the facility hours will be restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Because of the previous gravel mining operation, the site sits below neighboring properties. Langenfeld noted this topography will help minimize noise and visual impacts. The previous gravel operation also provided traffic mitigation for the new proposal, Langenfeld said, noting that acceleration and deceleration lanes on U.S. Highway 6 are already in place.

“Part of what makes this an attractive project is we don’t have to dump a lot of impacts into a new area,” he said. “We are really minimal in our impacts of the type of facility we are.”

A final mitigation is timing, Langenfeld said. “What we are planning on doing here has an expiration,” he said.

The proposed lifespan for the operation is until Oct. 2, 2039—the same date that an access permit to the site granted by the town of Gypsum will expire.