Recology’s State-of-the-Art Recycling Facility Maximizes Recovery of “Blue Bin” Materials

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Recology Sonoma Marin has unveiled its new state-of-the-art materials recovery facility (MRF), featuring the latest technology – including seven optical sorters. The modernized recycling operation, which officially opens on Jan. 29, reflects Recology’s efforts to shift the industry from traditional waste management to resource recovery, in pursuit of a world without waste.

The new MRF, which will process mixed recyclables from 13 communities in Sonoma and Marin counties, boasts an expected recovery rate of 85 percent for blue bin materials, a significant improvement over the previous facility’s 75 percent.

“This plant gives customers peace of mind that the recyclables they put in their blue bin will be properly recycled,” said Logan Harvey, Senior General Manager of Recology Sonoma Marin. “Investments like these show that recycling can work, and Recology is here to make sure that it does work.”

Leslie Lukacs, executive director of Zero Waste Sonoma, said, “I’ve worked in the recycling industry for 25 years and have toured many material recovery facilities. Recology’s new state-of-the-art facility is a game changer in maximizing the diversion of recyclable materials from the landfill and shows their commitment to recovering resources for our community.”

The $35 million plant, which took 10 months to build, measures 85,000 square feet and includes 109 conveyor belts. Their combined length totals 8,376 feet or 1.58 miles. The new MRF has the projected capacity to process nearly three times the amount of material as the previous facility – 400 tons per day up from 150 tons per day.

Recology engaged recycling equipment manufacturer Machinex to help design, fabricate, and install the cutting-edge system. Machinex CEO Chris Hawn said, “The result of our collaboration is one of the highest capacity recovery systems on the West Coast.”

Inside the revolutionary new facility, recyclables are separated by equipment using advanced technology and hand-sorted by recycling workers. Recology combines these two forces in ways that maximize efficiency.

Seven optical sorters use infrared light and air nozzles to sort materials and remove contaminants. They send clear plastic water bottles one way and colored detergent bottles another. A spinning magnet picks up steel cans and sends them to a conveyor belt leading to a high-density baler. A machine called an eddy-current separator repels aluminum cans in another direction. Recycling workers at the “last chance line” grab plastic bottles that make it past optical sorting machines.

“The system is designed to ensure that the recyclable material we collect has multiple opportunities to get separated and recycled,” Harvey said. As a leader in resource recovery, Recology continues to invest in robust recycling and composting systems and infrastructure to divert waste from landfill.

Recology CEO Sal Coniglio said, “With these investments, we continue to pursue our vision of a world without waste while advancing the circular economy and supporting our local communities. We aim to be a climate partner to the communities we serve, and this is a significant step towards that.”

A ribbon-cutting celebration to officially launch the new MRF will be held on Jan. 29.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com