A materials reclamation facility is a plant that collects, sorts, and prepares recyclables for marketing to end-user manufacturers. Materials reclamation facilities utilize both equipment and manual work and have become increasingly important as more cities and municipalities in the U.S. transitioned to single-stream recycling.
How did the Materials Reclamation Facility Start in the U.S.?
The movement for recycling started in the 1970s in the U.S. Peter Karter, an American nuclear engineer, was one of the frontiers in modern recycling. Karter was the first to create a “replicable system for mixed recyclables” and founded Resource Recovery Systems, Inc. in Brandford, Connecticut.
What is the Process in Materials Reclamation Facilities?
Recyclables are delivered to the materials reclamation facilities by their designated vehicles. Haulers will then deposit these on the tipping floor which will be transferred to a massive steel bin using a front-end loader. This steel bin or drum feeder sends the materials onto a conveyor where they will travel to a pre-sorting station that is manually worked. The materials are then routed to other conveyors as they are separated for accumulation and baling.
What are the Types of Materials Reclamation Facilities?
Materials reclamation facilities sort materials such as plastics, cardboard, paper, glass, metals, cartons, etc. It can be classified into 3 types:
- Clean materials reclamation facilities receive recyclables that have been separated at the source from municipal solid waste (MSW). Single-stream, dual stream, and mixed paper stream are subcategories of clean materials reclamation facilities.
- Dirty or Mixed-waste processing facilities (MWPF) receive mixed solid waste streams. They then distinguish what can be recycled using manual and mechanical methods.
- Wet materials reclamation facilities combine MWPF with water to densify, clean, and sort output streams. These centers also help facilitate the anaerobic digestion of biodegradables.
How to Help Materials Reclamation Facilities?
Plastic waste continues to be a persistent problem for materials reclamation facilities. Plastics and unwanted materials increase the need for manual labor and may get caught in the equipment. The best way to help materials reclamation facilities be more efficient is to recycle plastics so as not to contaminate the materials received by these facilities. Electronic waste can be sent to TechWaste Recycling Inc.
