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Fire Destroys Grossman Recycling Facility
November 1, 2008 By: Packaging online staff Official Board MarketsA fire started from a contractor’s cutting torch spark destroyed the 32,000 sq ft Grossman Group paper and plastic recycling facility in Westerville, Ohio. The building, equipment, and approximately 750 tons of paper and plastic was destroyed in the blaze that started on Oct. 18. Putting out the fire was hampered by a lack of sufficient water to the interior water hoses.
The building was owned by the City of Columbus, subleased to the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), who then subleased to The Grossman Group, Inc.
“This is truly an unfortunate situation,” Grossman Group President Steve Grossman says. “We have gone through almost three years of a financially devastating venture in a pilot program of separating commercial corrugated from trash with SWACO, and only recently started turning the company around by performing recycling for regular recyclables.
“From the beginning, SWACO said it was simply unable to entice private haulers to bring tonnage to the facility. We learned well after its assurances of supply that it had absolutely nothing to do with supply.”
SWACO cancelled the pilot program shortly after this realization.
“We will be making decisions in the next few weeks on what the future holds for this company,” Grossman says. “It is an amazing feeling and a real tribute to everyone associated with it when we have received dozens of calls from not just our customers wanting to know how they can work with us and get over this hurdle, but from three local recyclers opening themselves to assist in our processing until we make decisions. We were up and servicing all of our accounts two days later because of these generous recycling allies. Our immediate goal is to work with all of the powers that be in cleaning up this mess and above all, help our displaced employees find jobs within their skill levels.”
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