Mission, TX (KRGV) — Mission broke ground Thursday on a new recycling center to replace a facility destroyed by fire.

The project was a year in the making. The fire, which authorities said was caused by arson, left the city and residents without a permanent place to take recyclables.

The city set up temporary recycling bins after the fire, but Mission resident Louie Ortega said they did not meet demand.

“I would show up, and the bins would be full,” Ortega said.

Mission said it collected between 30 and 40 tons of recyclable items. City leaders said they hope the new center will help them keep up with that demand.

Mission partnered with Leadership Mission Class 42 on the project. The group got a $30,000 grant from the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council and raised close to $14,000 through fundraising and chicken plate sales.

Mission Sanitation Director Roel Mendiola said the new center would be bigger than the original. He said the site would give residents an indoor area to drop off paper, plastic, aluminum, tin, and cardboard.

“ISo it'll be a lot easier for our residents to drop off recyclables,” Mendiola said.

The center will be free to use and open seven days a week, officials said. Construction is expected to begin soon, with the new recycling center possibly opening later this month.

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