Gary wants to start recycling site for demolition debris

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - City officials in Gary want to start a disposal-and-recycling facility for building debris as they work toward demolishing some 6,000 abandoned houses.

They're seeking a change to a state law that prohibits landfills from locating within a half-mile of Lake County homes. The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson wrote to legislators that it could cost the cash-strapped city about $4,000 per house to dispose the debris in a traditional landfill.

Freeman-Wilson says the city will likely work with a private company for the recycling site.

The Rev. Marie Siroky of Gary's Trinity United Church of Christ objects to allowing the facility as close as 600 feet to residences, calling it "environmental racism."

An Indiana House committee has endorsed the change, which is awaiting action by the full House.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com