The Ripon Recycling Facility is scheduled to re-open today.

City Council gave the go-ahead at Monday morning’s special session for the local recycling center to resume operations but on a limited basis.

“This is an update of the Emergency COVID-19 Response Resolution as previously approved by Council,” Public Works Director James Pease said.

The changes include:

• The center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Every Tuesday, the center will be open to residential household with even addresses.
• Every Thursday, the center will be available with those with odd addresses.
• The center is available to Ripon residents and not to commercial recycling.
• Styrofoam and CRV items will not be accepted.
• Access will be restricted to one vehicle at a time upon the request of the San Joaquin County Health Department.

As for the one vehicle at a time, Pease indicated that a time restriction on unloading recyclable items.

Councilman Mike Restuccia painted a scenario of “a string of cars lined up but only one vehicle could have the occupants placing items in a particular bin at a time. “

Pease replied yes to that possibility, stating that for the cardboard, people will be unloading directly into the back of a loader and it will be separated away from the other bins.

“If someone is not doing cardboard, they could be at a different bin unloading,” he said.

Pease also noted that television sets will be accepted but will have to be emptied directly into the bin.

“In the past, people have placed their T.V.s on the ground outside the bin,” he said.

Pease, in addition, said those working at the recycling center will ensure that all cardboard items are clean of material.

Council members Leo Zuber and Restuccia are planning to visit the center during the re-opening to check on the process.

“We need to make sure participants are given good direction,” Zuber said.

The recycling center had been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Located at the old Nestle parking lot on Industrial Avenue, the city-operated place has a partnership with American Recycling and Ripon Unified School District with a program that benefits students at Weston, Ripon, Ripona, Park View and Colony Oak elementary schools.

“The schools will continue to receive the funds for the recycling but the City will not be supplementing the gap for cardboard at this time,” Pease said.