B&M Recycling updating facility
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Demolition of the The B&M Recycling building located at 304 N. Fillmore street began June 1, 2023. The 103 year old building, better known as the cardboard recycling facility, was originally constructed in 1920.
Owner Eric Brown expects to be closed for at least a month while they remove old building materials and replace the recycling center within a smaller footprint. Matthew Hudson Contruction is working with Brown to construct the new building.
B&M has paused cardboard recycling and barricaded the building during the transition.
Eric Brown and Karl McGahuey originally started the business in 1993. Karl’s son Roger McGahuey, joined B&M Recycling later on and Brown recently bought out McGahuey’s interest in the business.
Brown plans to use the existing concrete pad and steel frame to rebuild a new structure that will sit 50 feet back from Fillmore Street, 33 feet from the southern alley, 60 feet from the northern alley, and 66 feet from the eastern property line.
Brown says the local cardboard recycling only accounts for a small percentage of his overall business. They typically run about 10 semi loads each week from Mount Ayr to International Paper in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Roughly 2 of those 10 loads come from cardboard picked up locally or dropped off in Mount Ayr.
In total, Brown estimates B&M Recycling takes in 35 semi loads every week. “It’s a niche business,” Brown says, “not a lot of people are doing it.” He contracts directly with Synergy Waste, Republic Services, Rubicon Global, and Northstart Recycling.
Primarily, he bids on recycling jobs through Waste Management which accounts for 90% of his business. He picks up recycling for retailers like Lowes, Home Depot, Jo Ann Fabrics, Amazon, and Walmart. They also pick up all plastic recycling and roughly 75% of the cardboard recycling from Walmart Stores across IA.
“We have picked up [recycling] in every town in Iowa where a Walmart store is located,” Brown stated.
Additionally, the company serves the HyVee Distribution Center in Chariton and all Hobby Lobby and Tractor Supply locations across IA and NE.
