MRF projects across the U.S. and Canada are coming online to serve a wider range of customers and take on higher volumes of materials.
Here’s a look at some new and upcoming recycling facility projects that are spurred by population growth, new recycling laws and other factors.
Ecomaine to break ground on new MRF
Nonprofit Ecomaine is breaking ground on a $36 million recycling facility in Portland, Maine, which will allow the organization to serve more communities and process higher volumes. It’s the “most significant” infrastructure investment in Ecomaine’s history, it said.
The organization provides recycling, combustion and landfill operations for 70 Maine communities.
The 55,000-square-foot facility, a former home furnishings company building next to Ecomaine’s existing campus, will be renovated and expanded by an additional 11,000 square feet. New recycling equipment will include ballistic separators and 12 optical sorters with the ability to sort 1,000 items a minute, Ecomaine said in a news release. Machinex will supply the equipment, Mainebiz reported.
When completed in 2027, the facility will process up to 25 tons per hour, an increase of more than 66% over Ecomaine’s current capacity. The organization’s existing single-stream MRF was built in 2006.
Regular MRF operations will continue during construction, Ecomaine said.
WM plans new Alberta MRF, opens training center in Ontario
WM will build a new MRF in Edmonton, Alberta, to help manage recycled materials from the province’s new extended producer responsibility program for packaging and paper products.
The facility will be designed with “advanced mechanical and optical sorting technologies” to support Alberta’s transition to EPR, according to a release. WM already has a transfer station on this site.
Elsewhere in Canada, WM announced the opening of its first bilingual, Canada‑based training center for drivers and technicians. The 3,800-square-foot center was built on existing facility space at WM’s hauling facility in Brampton, Ontario. The remodel converted two service bays to dedicated technician training areas, trainer workspaces and classrooms.
The site also features a new driver training course within the yard. Other design elements, such as designated pedestrian walkways and traffic‑calming measures at the facility, “are designed to reflect typical operating conditions while maintaining a controlled, safety-focused environment,” the company said.
Lautenbach Recycling opens C&D MRF in Washington
Lautenbach Recycling opened a C&D MRF in Bellingham, Washington, last month. The company, which describes itself as the state’s largest family-owned recycler, offers commercial, construction and industrial recycling throughout Northwest Washington.
The facility, located on a 25-acre property, aims to consolidate certain operations in Whatcom County and streamline the processing of C&D, wood, metal, cardboard and other recyclable commodities. The facility also offers a public self-haul recycling area for wood, metal and cardboard.
Long-term plans for the site include the possibility of adding a dedicated MRF for curbside recyclables, Cascadia Daily reported. Commingled recycling collected at Lautenbach is currently transported to WM’s Cascade Recycling Center in Woodinville,Washington.
Tomra opens testing and training center for MRF equipment
Tomra recently opened a 4,500-square-meter facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. The site can provide customer maintenance as well as equipment and services for recyclers who want to test their waste and plastic materials in Tomra equipment. It will also provide training classes for equipment operators. The facility is meant to offer more prompt services for equipment users in the Americas.
The company’s research and development teams will also use the facility for innovating the company’s optical sorter and artificial intelligence applications, Tomra said in a news release.
Other recycling facility news
- Circular Services’ $61 million, 120,000-square-foot, MRF in Frisco, Texas, is now open. The facility is expected to employ 35 people. Circular Services is a portfolio company of Closed Loop Partners.
- The city of Worthington, Ohio, and the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio opened a new recycling convenience center funded partly by a nearly $30,000 SWACO grant. It offers a year-round collection point for items that are not accepted curbside, such as electronics, expanded polystyrene foam, car batteries, anti-freeze, motor oil and food scraps.
- Ross County, Ohio, opened a recycling drop-off center in the city of Chillicothe. The site was opened in partnership with Rumpke Waste & Recycling, The Scioto Post reported.
