After Magic Valley Recycling’s closure in August of 2024, PSI Environmental Systems has stepped up to fill the gap in the Twin Falls’ recycling program.
Before its closure due to unknown reasons, Magic Valley Recycling was tasked with the role of collecting recyclable waste in Twin Falls. It accepted a variety of materials and sent them to multiple processing facilities as far as Boise, Kentucky, and even China. Jace Melugin, a representative for PSI, said “At one point in time, they were accepting everything, but through the city of Twin Falls, like in those orange-lid cans, it was aluminum, cardboard, and tin.”
After PSI took over, materials were sent to sorting facilities in Boise and Salt Lake City. Although the transition was seamless for residents, Magic Valley’s closure highlighted a few frustrations with the city’s recycling system.
At its peak, Twin Falls’ recycling program was widely embraced.
Over 60% of residents viewed it favorably when a broader range of materials were accepted. But, after restrictions narrowed the program to just cardboard and aluminum, public satisfaction dropped.
“In fact, I think it dropped into the low 20s,” said City Manager Travis Rothweiler. “I think recycling in Twin Falls started to change well before Magic Valley Recyling’s closure.”
Despite these shifting views, the city found that the actual volume of recyclables has remained steady, seeing as PSI continues to collect recycling from the same households.
Within the next year, the City of Twin Falls’ contract with PSI will terminate, and the city is carefully determining what changes to the Twin Falls recycling program will follow with this termination.
“We’re going to explore. What is the next step for recycling in Twin Falls? Do we look for a different service provider that allows us to recycle more, or do we abolish the recycling program in the City of Twin Falls in its entirety? Those are obviously the two extremes, but we’ll look at all the steps in the middle as well,” said Rothweiler.
PSI, on the other hand, plans to build a recycling center in Twin Falls and is currently trying to obtain the required building permit to construct it.
According to Rothweiler, these plans might take a while to implement. “So the process is to go through and have the building engineered, and then our building safety team reviews these plans. Then, they’ll issue a building permit, and they will have to go forward to construct it. Honestly, it really depends on how complete the plans PSI submit are.”
