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EverestLabs High Recovery Robot Cells performed 104 picks per minute compared to 70 on the company’s Delta system. | Courtesy of EverestLabs
EverestLabs released a new robotic sorting system that the company says can perform more picks and fit in a wider range of MRF settings compared with previous robotic equipment.
With the planned upgrade, sorted and processed plastics will be converted into a plastic lumber inside Firstar’s facility. | jantsarik / Shutterstock
Firstar Fiber is receiving a loan from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste that will help the processor convert hard-to-recycle plastics into building materials, all within the confines of the MRF.
A new EPA research report runs through how a typical MRF might encounter and handle lithium-ion batteries, and how fires can be sparked. | silabob / Shutterstock
Lithium-ion battery fires are affecting all types of waste management and recycling facilities. But the U.S. EPA recently concluded that the municipal recycling sector has it worse than others.
MRF operators shared their insights in a session at this year’s Resource Recycling Conference, held virtually in August.
Running a successful MRF means adapting to a changing stream, investing to upgrade equipment and navigating end market uncertainty. Three prominent MRF leaders recently shared how they’re approaching these challenges.
Staff of Mazza Recycling Services proudly feature their bronze MRF glass certificate from the Glass Recycling Coalition. | Courtesy of the Glass Recycling Coalition
The MRF Glass Certification Program has recognized sorting facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for their glass recovery efforts.
A jury’s decision means the city of New Bedford, Mass. does not owe the $2 million in damages sought by ABC Disposal. | Zolnierek / Shutterstock
The city of New Bedford, Mass. has won its years-long dispute with waste management company ABC Disposal over recycling fees.
Food and beverage cartons are not accepted in curbside recycling in a number of large municipalities in Massachusetts. | Velour Noire / Shutterstock
When MRF operators sat down with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection officials in 2018 to develop a non-mandated accepted recyclables list, cartons didn’t make the cut.
Waste Management’s overall recycling collection dropped slightly from 2019 to 2020. | Courtesy of Waste Management
A report from Waste Management describes how the pandemic shifted the composition of the curbside stream from paper to plastic last year. The document also provides insights into the company’s domestic market expectations and recycling investments.
Recycle Ann Arbor secured $6 million in financing to essentially rebuild the MRF, which was first constructed as a dual-stream facility in 1995 and was retrofitted for single-stream sorting in 2009. | Courtesy of Recycle Ann Arbor.
Economic uncertainty is a given in recycling right now, but Recycle Ann Arbor has two points of stability beneath the facility project it’s pushing forward: Processing costs are covered, and fiber bales have a guaranteed home.
OCC makes up about one-quarter of outbound tons from MRFs, according to NERC’s formula. | mann7429/Shutterstock
Northeastern MRFs say the recyclables they produced during the second quarter were worth more than they were during the first three months of the year.