A New Britain Township recycling company that lost its building to a three-alarm fire on July 3 will get $750,000 in state money to demolish what remains and build a modern replacement on the same site.
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10) and state Rep. Shelby Labs (R-143) announced the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant for Doylestown Waste Recycling on Wednesday. The funding is part of a $1.25 million RACP package that also includes $500,000 for DiaVac Biotech Company, a life-sciences firm in Plumstead Township.
The grant will pay for tearing down the current structure at 1510 Swamp Road and constructing a new facility over the same footprint, according to the legislators' joint press release. The rebuilt building will house a picking station for sorting recyclable materials from waste, a grinder to reduce material volume and an underground stormwater collection basin.
Fire destroyed the facility July 3
The announcement came 13 days after a fire broke out at approximately 5:52 p.m. on Friday, July 3, engulfing the company's 100-by-150-foot, two-story building. The blaze escalated to a three-alarm response, drawing dozens of fire companies from Bucks, Montgomery and neighboring New Jersey counties. Portions of the building collapsed. No injuries were reported.
After the fire, Doylestown Waste Recycling posted on social media: "It is a brutal realization you have when 8 years of building DWR into what it was be destroyed in a matter of hours. We are grateful that no one was in the building at the time of the fire. We will be back."
The press release describes the grant as supporting "planned facility upgrades," suggesting the RACP application may have been in the works before the fire. The timeline has not been confirmed.
What the grant requires
RACP rules require a total project cost of at least $1 million and at least 50 percent non-state financial participation, according to the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget. That means Doylestown Waste Recycling must put up at least $750,000 in private matching funds, placing the total project investment at a minimum of $1.5 million.
The company specializes in construction debris recycling, handling drywall, shingles, metal and concrete, and runs a dumpster delivery and pickup service.
"These upgrades at Doylestown Waste Recycling will improve material recovery, reduce landfill waste, and strengthen stormwater management at the site," Santarsiero said in the announcement. "I'm proud to support this project that will help lower emissions, protect local waterways, and move our region toward a more sustainable future."
