Commission approves conditional-use permit for 25-acre recycling sorting facility near Milford

The Beaver County Commission unanimously approved a conditional-use permit (CU 2026-10) for a recycling sorting facility on a 25.2-acre parcel south of the Milford overpass after amending several plan conditions to address dust, visual impacts and truck access.

Applicant Jesse McCord told commissioners the facility would accept industrial clean streams (wood waste, cardboard, nonhazardous plastics and scrap metal) from solar and other clients for on-site grinding, sorting and consolidated trucking. "We're not open to the public," McCord said, adding the operation will use magnets to remove nails and will contain operations inside stacked shipping containers to reduce wind-blown debris.

Planning and zoning recommended approval with conditions including dust control, perimeter screening and hours of operation. Commissioners pressed specifics on access and safety; McCord said he will set the facility gate back from the road so tractor-trailers can pull fully off the highway and will consolidate operations to three to four acres of the parcel.

The commission required amendments to the planning conditions: (1) dust-control measures focused on disturbed/high-traffic areas (gravel surfacing and watering available by water truck), (2) a chain-link perimeter fence on the north and east sides of the work area and (3) visual screening around the immediate sorting area (the applicant will use containers as primary containment and add slats or barrier fabric as needed). Commissioners also confirmed operational limits: hours 7 a.m.–7 p.m., a 14-day turnaround window for material on site and a prohibition on storing hazardous materials.

Commissioners said they will require staff follow-up to ensure the fencing and gravel are installed within an agreed period and that the containment approach is working in practice. The conditional-use permit passed by unanimous voice vote.