New Advanced Sorting System Brings Increased Recycling Capability to Region
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (April 19, 2017) – Republic Services celebrated its enhanced recycling facility today that will enable Sonoma County to achieve their sustainability goals for years to come. The Sonoma County Recycling Center is capable of processing more than 200 tons of recyclable material per day, and is expected to increase the recycling capacity in the region.
“The new enhanced Recycling Center offers significant environmental benefits to the community and the customers we are fortunate to serve,” said Mike Caprio, area president of Republic Services. “We now have the ability to increase recycling efforts, while diverting valuable materials from the landfill. The facility has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which offers a substantial contribution to the community’s climate protection goals.”
The existing 32,000-square foot Recycling Center was expanded with an additional 6,000-square feet constructed by ET Environmental, bringing the new combined square footage to 38,000. The processing system was designed and installed by the CP Group.
The facility offers a variety of features to provide flexible processing capabilities. The equipment includes two material processing options. The first is an in-feed conveyor for collected commercial materials such as cardboard, mixed paper, containers, film and plastics.
The second is a hopper-fed construction and demolition (also known as C&D) conveyance system with multiple sorting stations. The system includes a baler for packaging recyclable materials such as cardboard, mixed paper and other materials. The facility also has a separate bale storage building to protect the finished products from rain prior to shipment to market.
The enhanced Recycling Center was part of a three-year Solid Waste Advisory Group (SWAG) collaborative process between multiple municipalities, the County and a diverse group of public stakeholders. They identified three underserved waste streams; self-haul, commercial dry waste, and C&D waste materials that could be addressed with a robust recycling center and program.
Republic Services of Sonoma County employs 26 employees. They proudly serve over 265 commercial customers as well as thousands of residents throughout the year. Republic also operates the Central Landfill and five transfer stations in the County of Sonoma.
Known as the Blue PlanetTM sustainability initiative, Republic is defining its approach to corporate social responsibility through reduced emissions from operations, materials management, safety, community engagement, and employee growth opportunities. Republic collects and processes approximately five million tons of recyclables per year at 64 recycling centers nationwide.
To view Republic’s Sustainability Report, go to https://www.republicservices.com/sustainability.
About Republic Services
Republic Services, Inc. is an industry leader in U.S. recycling and non-hazardous solid waste. Through its subsidiaries, Republic’s collection companies, recycling centers, transfer stations and landfills focus on providing effective solutions to make proper waste disposal effortless for its 14 million customers. We’ll handle it from here.TM, the brand’s promise, lets customers know they can count on Republic to provide a superior experience while fostering a sustainable Blue PlanetTM for future generations to enjoy a cleaner, safer and healthier world.