One and a half years ago, Ken Mogul moved to Loudoun County to start a construction and demolition waste recycling company. ThereÕs one thing in his way, the county.
In MogulÕs proposed plan to the county, Ace Waste Recycling, to be located in Dulles, would recycle cardboard, concrete, dirt, metal, plastics, wallboard and wood from construction and demolition sites around the county.
ÒWeÕre a local business,Ó he said.
Mogul moved to Northern Virginia for a couple of reasons, to be closer to family and to tap into the construction recycling business in Northern Virginia.
ÒThereÕs a phenomenal amount of waste in Northern Virginia,Ó he said.
The reason his facility would work in Loudoun County is due to the large amount of construction activity and the high construction waste disposal fees, about $70 per ton, he said.
ÒThereÕs no competition.Ó
ON MONDAY NIGHT, the Planning Commission met with Mogul to discuss his proposed plan.
Construction waste disposal has increased dramatically as nearby construction and demolition waste facilities are out of capacity and tipping fees continue to go up, Mogul said in a presentation to the board. A representative from the Office of Solid Waste Management spoke out against the facility stating there are three recycling centers like Ace Waste Recycling Facility in Loudoun County, one in Leesburg and two in Sterling. ÒAll but one really do not recycle,Ó the representative said. ÒAnd they have a negative impact on neighbors,Ó she said.
Dulles district representative Barbara Munsey strongly opposed the proposed facility.
ÒNot in my district,Ó she said. ÒItÕs landing right down in the middle of citizens that donÕt want it.Ó
Munsey said she would not support the new facility because she has received letters from her constituents who are against it for a number of reasons.
CULLEN WOEHRLE is an IT systems coordinator at ADESA, Washington, D.C., a car dealership located next door to the proposed Ace Waste Recycling center.
ADESA sells 25,000 cars per year. All of those cars have to be washed and waxed an average of three times before they leave the lot. WoerhleÕs major concern with MogulÕs plan is the amount of dust and dirt the recycling center will produce, that may fall onto the cars.
ÒAny amount of dust from the recycling center would blanket about 5,000 cars,Ó he said. ÒWeÕd end up having to wash them all of the time and we donÕt have the money to do that.Ó
Woerhle is also concerned with the amount of traffic the dump trucks to and from Ace Waste Recycle would generate on Old Ox Road.
On an average day, trucks would make 195 trips to the dump site.
Sterling District representative Helena S. Syska said she could not support the proposed plan due to the amount of truck traffic to and from the recycling center on local roads.
ÒI can already see Sterling Boulevard becoming a traffic station for this,Ó she said.
EVEN THOUGH a new recycling center would mean more truck traffic, Commisser Kevin Ruedisueli (At Large) wanted to learn more about AceÕs services.
Mogul provided the Planning Commission with a visual.
In a video of one of MogulÕs operating construction and demolition recycling centers in New York, Mogul demonstrated how to separate debris and recycle it. First, dirt and debris were separated into large bins. Men sifted through materials on conveyor belts and separated them into two piles, oversized and midsized objects.
ÒOnce you separate the materials, you make them into something else,Ó Mogul said.
For example, metal can be made into things like cars and guardrails, he said.
ÒWe recycle 95 percent of what comes in,Ó Mogul said. ÒItÕs actually higher than that now.Ó
In New York, Mogul recycles more than 1,000 tons of construction and demolition waste per day.
ÒTo me it looks like a win, win situation,Ó Ruedisueli said.
THE PLANNING COMMISSION voted 7-1-1 to forward the proposed facility discussion to the Monday, Nov. 6 meeting, with Syska opposed and Suzanne M. Volpe (Sugarland Run) absent.
ÒWe all have a lot of homework to do,Ó said Theresa White Whitmore (Potomac), chairperson of the Planning Commission.