Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

The City of Bartlesville's Recycling Center remains temporarily closed at this time as a result of a fire that took place at the Tulsa Recycle and Transfer Center (TRT) in early April.

Bartlesville Public Works Director Keith Henry said someone put a lithium battery in their recycling that caught on fire. Henry said the fire damaged TRT's entire structure including the roof of the facility, electrical systems, and machinery. He said they could have the roof fixed by the end of the day on Monday.

The biggest hold up now is getting electricity back to the machinery. Henry said TRT will need to see what works and what doesn't from there. He said TRT is still in its recovery phase.

No date is set as to when TRT will open, but Henry anticipates that it could take another two weeks to a month because of the severity of the damage. Henry said Bartlesville's recycle center will re-open as soon as TRT re-opens. He said there are no recycle centers in the area, but you could take your recycling to Oklahoma City or Bentonville, Arkansas.

If you currently have recyclables, Henry would encourage you to either hold onto the items you have or put the items in your regular trash collection. He discourages anyone from coming to the recycle center and leaving their items at the fence because it will just go to the landfill either way.

The City of Bartlesville will notify the public as soon as TRT re-opens and when the local recycle center will resume normal activities.