The Alaskan Brewing Company is seen on Wednesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

The Alaskan Brewing Company is seen on Wednesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Brewery expansion could indirectly aid Juneau recycling efforts

For more than a decade, Alaskan Brewing Company has looked to expand westward. It’s inching closer to doing that, and that expansion could pay off for the City and Borough of Juneau in multiple ways.

Besides providing Juneau’s most recognizable business more room for offices, storage or retail facilities, the expansion could also indirectly help the city face the challenge of supplying more efficient waste management.

Alaskan is looking to purchase four CBJ-owned lots. The transfer would displace the city’s water utility as well as the public drop-off area for household hazardous waste. Alaskan has been renting a portion of the water building for the past year; Communications Manager Andy Kline said transfer talks have heated up during that time.

“We’re interested, so it could happen fairly quickly on our schedule,” Kline said, “but it’s up to the city to say, ‘Yes.’ They’d have to figure out what to do with the hazardous waste area.”

Finding a new spot for the hazardous waste drop-off could actually streamline things for the city, which plans to consolidate waste services. Relocating the hazardous waste drop-off creates an opportunity to do that, RecycleWorks Manager Michele Elfers said.

A new location could serve as a convenient “One Stop Drop Off” spot for hazardous household waste, recycling, composting and scrap metal, Elfers detailed at the CBJ Assembly meeting Monday night. Having all these operations on one property could lower operating and maintenance costs, as the city currently has three recycling programs in three different locations.

Being forced to move the hazardous waste drop-off facility could serve as a catalyst for creating this new facility, Elfers said.

“I think it could be a really exciting opportunity for Juneau in general and the community because Alaskan Brewing Company is a really valuable business and community asset for us, and it could provide some opportunity for the RecycleWorks program too, to take our service to a higher level.”

Over the years, Elfers and her team have found that convenience drives action when it comes to recycling. When the city made it more convenient for citizens to deposit hazardous waste — going from a few collection events per year to opening the facility for three days a week in 2014 — the number of visits to the facility doubled and the total of waste collected increased by 100 tons from 2014 to 2015.

Getting more citizens to deposit their waste away from the Capitol Landfill would extend the life of the landfill, which is one of RecycleWorks’ goals.

Having the various recycling facilities on one property would make the whole process more convenient, Elfers said, if the city can find an appropriate location. Elfers proposed a few spots Monday that could work.

The water utility could fit at a small property the city owns on Barrett Avenue, Elfers said. There are then three locations that could work for the consolidated recycling center. The Channel Construction Property on Anka Street is one, which is a convenient location for the public and already paved.

A gravel pit near Home Depot in Lemon Creek suits the project but would need to be built from the ground up, requiring the construction of an access road. The final spot proposed Monday is actually at the Capitol Landfill in Lemon Creek. This spot would be large enough to accommodate the recycling center and citizens are already accustomed to waste disposal at that location.

The options each have their pros and cons, and the Assembly members were open to further discussing the possibilities. The Lands Committee will now look at the potential sale of the existing property, as well as the relocation and consolidation of programs. The Finance Committee will also analyze the costs of sustaining the program.

Those at Alaskan, which strives to produce its beer in an environmentally friendly fashion, are very aware of the possible environmental influence of this arrangement. Kline said RecycleWorks’ efforts fit directly into Alaskan’s philosophy.

“If we can assist, if we can be a catalyst in the community to allow for our waste to be used in a more efficient way community-wide, then we totally would advocate for that,” Kline said.


• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com or 523-2271


More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast for the week of March 18

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

A board in the House Chambers at the Alaska State Capitol shows Monday’s vote tally of 39-20 to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of Senate Bill 140, one vote short of the two-thirds necessary. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Legislature fails by a single vote of 39-20 to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of education bill

Legislators warn bad blood may hamper other issues as numerous Republicans abandon earlier support.

With COVID-19 aid, more schools gave students and families experiencing homelessness prepaid cards to buy necessities like groceries and gas. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Grocery cards and car repairs: How COVID aid changed the way schools can help homeless kids

Juneau student services specialist among those finding creative ways to provide assistance.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Saturay, March 16, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Friday, March 15, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy discusses his veto of a wide-ranging education bill during a press conference Friday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Veto override vote on education bill expected to have consequences — and no assurance of extra funds

Retaliation by governor, fractured relationships within Legislature on other issues among concerns.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, March 14, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Kaskanak Creek in the Bristol Bay’s Kvichak watershed is seen from the air on Sept. 27, 2011. Threats to the watershed and other sites were cited by the Environmental Protection Agency when it issued a decision barring permitting of the Pebble mine. But the Dunleavy administration and Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. have taken legal action to try to reverse that decision. (Photo provided by Environmental Protection Agency
State lawsuit claims federal government owes Alaska $700 billion for quashing Pebble mine

The federal government owes Alaska more than $700 billion in compensation for… Continue reading

Tongass National Forest (Photo by U.S. Forest Service)
New Department of Interior opinion promises to recognize expanded tribal jurisdiction in Alaska

Tribes can exert jurisdiction over allotments granted to individual Natives, opinion states.

Most Read