A waste and recycling company claims that glass recovery and optical scanners will each receive $30 million.
The material recovery facility (MRF) in Oakwood, Ohio, not far from Cleveland, will receive an investment of about $30 million, according to WM, a Houston-based company that was originally known as Waste Management Inc.
According to the business, the investment will be used to install fiber and plastic optical sorting scanners that are intended to maximize the recovery and quality of recycled materials. The project also includes system changes to facilitate “advanced glass recovery and cleanup,” as described by WM, as well as an early-fire detection and suppression system.
Additionally, it is anticipated that the storage area for baled commodities at the current recycling plant will grow from roughly 7,000 square feet to 32,000 square feet.
The enlarged facility’s construction has already started, and according to WM, it will be finished by March 2023.
With more than 500,000 customers in Ohio, “WM works with our customers to assist achieve their recycling needs, and it is vital that we continue to invest in our communities and develop our recycling infrastructure,” says Aaron Johnson, WM’s vice president for the Great Lakes region. “At its core, WM is a sustainability firm, and our team is thrilled to underline our commitment to the environment with this investment in the Cleveland region.”
The initiative, according to the waste and recycling company, is a part of a $275 million recycling infrastructure investment that will be made in 2022. This will increase the company’s total investment in new and expanded recycling facilities to more than $1.3 billion since 2018.
The investment, according to the company, is anticipated to allow WM to capture more recycled materials and expand access to recycling for its clients as the market for goods with recycled content continues to grow.
The Cleveland MRF is also planning to open a brand-new recycling education center, which will be accessible to the public for scheduled educational programs and tours.
At the moment, WM runs four MRFs in Ohio. With this development, WM’s Cleveland facility is anticipated to take over as the state’s main center for recycling processing. At the location, WM plans to create an extra 40 jobs and offer “the option to upskill current roles when technology is implemented.”
In order to support the anticipated advances in recycling processing, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) recently announced the granting of a $200,000 Market Development Grant . The grant award maintains what WM describes as a solid partnership between WM and the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management District to increase Ohio’s recycling capacity.
According to Elizabeth Biggins-Ramer, executive director of Cleveland-based Cuyahoga Recycles, “The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District is happy that WM chose to increase recycling capabilities in Northeast Ohio, as it will act as a catalyst for additional sustainability efforts in the area.” Additionally, WM’s education center will give locals, companies, and leaders of the community the chance to learn how to recycle properly.
WM’s Johnson continues, “This facility will present a larger chance for local solutions for single-stream recycling.” “We are proud to provide state-of-the-art tools and technology to the residents and businesses we assist in Cuyahoga County and beyond, contributing to the state’s efforts to become cleaner and greener overall.“
Through its subsidiaries, which offer collection, recycling, and disposal services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada, WM advertises itself as North America’s most comprehensive waste management environmental solutions provider.
