A local recycling company has started the process of hauling away and sorting a variety of materials from the site of a downtown Galesburg fire.
Rob Benedict, owner of USA Recycling, tells WGIL his company began hauling materials from the site on Main and Prairie streets today to an EPA approved and permitted temporary sorting location at 1480 S. Henderson St.
“We want to get things hauled away as soon as possible so we can get Main Street back open to two lanes,” Benedict said. “Basically, the debris will go to the Knox County Landfill, scrap metal will go to a scrap yard, and we will crush the concrete and brick for recycling.”
Benedict said he expects most of the rubble to be cleared from the site by Friday evening. The site will eventually be filled and sodded, a process that’s expected to take about four weeks.
A crew from River City Demolition of Peoria started the demolition process at 149-151 E. Main Street at 8:45 a.m. Saturday. By 2:15 p.m., the all the walls had been knocked in.
An early-morning fire on Feb. 19 caused extensive structural and water damage of the 3-story building at the corner of Main and Prairie streets.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined.
