A spokesperson for Eastman Recycling says their plant in Steinbach will be out of commission longer than they had originally hoped.

On May 4th, fire broke out in one of the hoppers along the conveyor belt. Jeannette Delong is Executive Director for enVision Community Living. She says the fire made its way up the chute, causing extensive damage to the roof of the building.

One week after the fire, Delong told Steinbachonline.com that they were still awaiting a damage estimate and that they would be out of the building for at least three months. Delong now says the damage estimate is at least $2 million and she says they are now hoping to be in the plant by October, five months after the fire.

According to Delong, the entire cleanup has been completed. The plant is down to only its original framework as the result of fire and smoke damage. She notes the entire skin of the roof needs to be replaced, as well as two or three steel rafters. Delong adds they have been given the green light by their insurance company to begin the restoration and rebuilding process.

Delong says their equipment inside the structure is partly salvageable. She notes a lot of the electrical work needs to be replaced, especially because of corrosion that is beyond repair.

In the plant itself, any recyclables that were present at the time of the fire were disposed of because conditions were too toxic. However, bales that were inside the warehouse were not damaged and are still good.

Delong says Eastman Recycling has been able to keep up with curbside pickups since the fire. However, instead of taking them back to their plant, they are being delivered to a recycling facility in Winnipeg. She says their drivers are really feeling the impact of this fire, being forced to head into Winnipeg at the end of each day to unload the trucks.

"We've had a good response from other recyclers in Manitoba, everybody is sort of willing to help where they can," she says. "Certainly the plant where we're dropping off has been very good to work with as well."

Meanwhile, their office at the plant is back open and Delong says they are now able to accept electronic drop-offs again. However, Eastman Recycling is unable to accept any other recyclables at the Steinbach facility.

Read More:

Eastman Recycling Fire Started In Hopper

The Steinbach Fire Department Puts Out Conveyor System Fire