Board Supports Recycling Facility in Dulles
By Kim Centazzo
December 19, 2006

York

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Loudoun County is one step closer to becoming a little bit greener. The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, Dec. 12, to forward a materials recovery facility to its next business meeting. Ken
Mogul, the president of Ace Waste Recycling Facility, was pleased with
the Board of Supervisors' decision to support his plan despite the lack
of support received from the Office of Solid Waste Management.
MONICA GORMAN is a compliance specialist with the Office of Solid Waste Management. She
has reviewed Mogul's proposal for a construction and demolition
materials recycling center located off of Route 606 in Dulles. The
county already has three private centers, including Old Dominion,
Sterling and Conserve Industries materials recovery facilities and
transfer stations, in the eastern part of the county. The three
facilities operate at an average of 40 percent. "There is no need for another facility in Loudoun County," Gorman said. Another waste facility means a few things, including an increased amount of truck traffic on local roads. The
facility would be located off of Route 606 in Dulles. The nearest
residential neighborhood is Loudoun Valley II Estates located about a
mile away. "The neighbors don't want the trucks going in front of their houses," Mogul said. Mogul
said he is aware of the neighbor's concerns and has implemented a
traffic project in his proposal, approved by the Planning Commission,
Sept. 1. Trucks will only travel on Route 606 and will not pass in front of any residential homes. Tim
Williams is a homeowner in Loudoun Valley II Estates. He said he does
not want the waste management facility in his neighborhood because of
the negative effects on his property value. The Dulles resident said he
does not want to have to face truck traffic everyday and worries about
the potential effects on the environment, such as water pollution. "I believe these types of facilities should be kept away from residential areas," he said. Williams said he does not want to live in the truck traffic every day. Mogul also set up a citizen's advisory committee that would help set up the recycling center. "We're a recycling company, so we're a bit more aware of the environment that your run-of-the-mill company," Mogul said.
GORMAN HAS OTHER concerns for the county. "New facilities may cause economic destabilization of existing private sector facilities," she said. Mogul
said the three existing facilities are not recycling centers, but waste
transfer stations. They collect debris and ship them to other parts of
the state. "A real recycling facility is not a waste transfer
station," Mogul said. "We recycle 95 percent of the materials that we
handle." Mogul also said the numbers the Office of Solid Waste
Management are inaccurate. There is actually more waste generated in
the area. "There's a lot more waste generated in this county than what is accounted for," he said. He
said his facility would generate new competition and would lower prices
of construction waste removal, "in addition to the positive benefits to
recycling," he said.
THE BOARD of Supervisors voted Dec. 12 to forward the proposal to its next business meeting. The
Planning Commission saw benefits to the recycling facility last month
and advised the board to "expressly support recycling in the county,"
said chairman Scott York (I-At Large). Mogul will need to obtain two
permits, one from the county and one from the state, required after
construction is complete, Gorman said. "A facility cannot be
permitted unless it is incorporated into the solid waste management
plan," Gorman said. "The facility is not in the solid waste management
plan currently." Gorman said recycling other counties' waste is not viable to the county.
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