SALINAS VALLEY — After 17 years in operation, the Sun Street Transfer Station in Salinas will officially and permanently close on Sept. 10, announced officials from Salinas Valley Recycles (SVR).
The City of Salinas had requested closure of the Sun Street Transfer Station, located at 139 Sun St., in order to fulfill its vision for the Alisal Marketplace redevelopment project.
“SVR has been working with the City for the past 15 years to pursue alternative permanent locations that would satisfy the City’s desire to relocate services away from the central location within city limits, while meeting the needs of the community and the increasing mandates from the State for resource recovery and diversion of waste from landfills,” according to Salinas Valley Recycles in a news release.
Most recently, in August 2021, an agreement was reached between the City of Salinas and SVR that allows its services and operations to continue in a more permanent location that meets the long-term public needs, as well as the continuation of mandated waste diversion and recycling programs, and supports the City’s “Excellent Infrastructure” goals.
“After 15 years of unrest, the saga of the Sun Street Transfer Station in Salinas is settled; the facility will close permanently on Sept. 10, 2022,” said Sandi Manor, on behalf of Salinas Valley Recycles. “Please spread the news to neighbors, as this popular facility will be missed by those who relied on its convenient location and low rates for disposal in the Salinas area.”
Manor added, “Moving forward, the greatest concern for the community is illegal dumping if would-be customers arrive to find the facility is closed; informing the public ahead of the closure could help prevent that.”
Though the Sun Street Transfer Station is closing, SVR’s Recycling and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facilities will be relocating to a new location at 1104 Madison Lane in Salinas, next to Republic Services’ Madison Lane Transfer Station.
Republic Services — the franchised garbage, recycling and organics hauler for the City of Salinas — has been making improvements to the Madison Lane Transfer Station in order to accommodate the anticipated increase in traffic from self-haulers who had previously frequented the Sun Street Transfer Station.
SVR’s Recycling and HHW Facilities will re-open at the new Madison Lane location on Sept. 12, once again offering free recycling and household hazardous waste disposal services to the public. Customers will still be able to recycle their mattresses/box springs, appliances, cardboard, paper, metal, glass, plastics, clothing, etc., at no charge.
To dispose of garbage, yard waste, wood waste, or construction and demolition materials, customers can use the adjacent Madison Lane Transfer Station, or SVR’s Johnson Canyon Landfill at 31400 Johnson Canyon Road in Gonzales or Jolon Road Transfer Station at 52654 Jolon Road in King City.
The move to Madison Lane is a full-circle moment for SVR’s HHW Facility, which was located at the site prior to the opening of Sun Street Transfer Station in 2005.
Operated by Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, aka Salinas Valley Recycles, Sun Street Transfer Station has been serving self-haulers, recyclers and safe disposal of household hazardous waste for residents and businesses in Salinas and surrounding areas for the past 17 years. As locals became familiar with the location off Market Street, the facility grew in utility and popularity, consistently serving more than 300 customers a day, six days a week.
The Authority is a joint powers agency made up of local governments from Monterey County (eastern half of the unincorporated county) and the cities of Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Salinas and Soledad. For more information, visit svswa.org.
