AN INTRODUCTION ABOUT MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY (MRF)

I. OVERVIEW

A material recovery facility (MRF) is a plant that separates and recycles waste materials to produce clean and pure recyclable materials that can be marketed. MRF is designed to make clean and pure recycled materials to ensure the goods produced are marketable at the highest value.

MRF plays an important role in the recycling process because it can maximize the processing of recycled materials while also creating products to generate the highest possible revenue in the market. MRF helps conserve natural resources, minimize damage to the natural environment, and remove dangerous contaminants from land and water environments. By sorting and generating materials for recycling, MRFs help reduce waste streams, the need for raw materials, and the pollution associated with the production of new products.

II. CLASSIFY

– A clean MRF is a material recovery facility that uses only source-separated recyclable materials from residential or commercial municipal solid waste. There are many types of clean MRFs, where the recyclables are distributed in a mixed container stream (typically glass, non-ferrous metals, aluminum, PET, and HDPE, and mixed paper, including cardboard boxes, newspapers, magazines, office paper, and junk mail). Materials are classified according to specifications, and then baled, shredded, crushed, compressed, or other preparations are performed before shipping to market.

– A dirty MRF is a facility that receives mixed solid waste and then sorts recyclable materials through manual sorting combined with mechanical sorting. Sorted recyclable materials may be subjected to necessary further processing to meet the specifications required by the end market. While the rest is sent to disposal facilities such as landfills.

III. HANDLING PROCEDURES

Step 1. Treatment of mixed recyclable solid waste

Step 2. Quality control

Step 3. Sort and separate paper

Step 4. Sort plastic, metal, and glass

Step 5. Package, label, and market

IV. BENEFITS OF MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITIES

• The primary function of the MRF is to maximize the amount of recyclable materials from the waste generated in the municipality. Sorting this recyclable waste and sending it for recycling will yield the highest possible revenue from the recycling market.
• Establishing an MRF will help limit the amount of waste disposed of in landfills and maximize the efficiency of material recovery. Additionally, material recovery facilities serve as an intermediate processing step between collecting recyclables and selling them to the recycling market….
• It benefits by reducing waste volumes and leads to cost savings in the collection, transportation, and treatment infrastructure. At the same time, material recycling facilities also extend the life of landfills, reduce environmental management efforts, and create recycling industry jobs for the informal sector and local recyclers.

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