After being closed for more than a month-and-a-half, the Powell Valley Recycling Center will reopen today (Tuesday).

“It’s going to be business as usual,” said Marynell Oeschner, president of the nonprofit organization’s board.

The Powell center shut its doors on Aug. 15, after being inexplicably dumped by its prior insurer, and after an intense, months-long search for a new carrier proved unsuccessful. The problem is not unique to Powell Valley Recycling, as trade publications say the entire recycling industry has been hit with dramatically higher premiums and lost coverage in recent years.

In recent weeks, however, Powell board members secured liability and vehicle insurance, and they decided Monday to reopen the center. They’re continuing to seek a long-term solution for property insurance, Oeschner said.

The center’s new coverage is more expensive, and being closed for nearly seven weeks has meant losing out on revenue, she said, so the nonprofit is set to run into the red this year.

Because the center was closed for a month, the Powell City Council has also discussed the possibility of giving its utility customers a one-month break from the $2 recycling fee that’s assessed on residential utility bills and passed on to Powell Valley Recycling. If the council waived the fee for a month, the organization would miss out on roughly $5,600.

Oeschner said that the nonprofit plans “to do a lot of shipping to try to make up for the lost revenue over the last two months,” selling off a chunk of the recyclables stockpiled at the facility. While commodity prices remain depressed, she said some have improved to the point where the organization can make some money.

On top of that, “we’re going to look for ways to fundraise and boost our budget,” Oeschner said.

She invited anyone who wants to help with fundraising efforts to consider joining the board — and she thanked the center’s customers for their patronage.

“We’re kind of doing the best we can with the cards we’ve been dealt,” Oeschner said.

The Powell Valley Recycling Center — located at 946 Road 10 on the city’s west edge — is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.