Filco Carting breaks ground on $10M waste recovery facility

Filco Carting, a New York City-based waste management firm, says it’s nearing a 100 percent zero waste goal by 2027 with the construction of a new recovery facility.

The $10 million state-of-the-art facility, located in Brooklyn, is expected to break ground early next year and be fully operational by the end of 2023.

The 40,000-square-foot facility will accept several materials, including glass, cardboard, plastic and wood. While the company is still unsure of the system's exact throughput, Filco's CEO and President Domenic Monopoli told Waste Today it will comprise of roughly 50 feet of conveyor belt, a baler capable of “putting out a 2,000-pound cardboard bale every 9 seconds” and magnets. 

Eighty percent of Filco’s current waste stream is delivered to waste-to-energy facilities rather than to landfills. With the new facility, the company says it will be able to separate materials by waste stream, giving more internal control over cross-contamination and improving the recyclability of materials.

“We are always looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to environmental excellence—and to beat everyone else to the starting line,” says Nicholas Fytros, chief operations officer for Filco Carting. “Yes, being zero waste in five years or less is aggressive, but we’re aggressive. Furthermore, we’re almost there already—at 80 percent in 2022—so I know this [is] an ambitious goal we can achieve.”

Monopoli echoes this sentiment, telling Waste Today the company has historically prioritized sustainability and zero waste. 

“We’ve had the goal of zero waste for over 100 years,” he says. In addition to the new recovery facility, Filco has pushed for more environmental consciousness through the expansion of its commercial composting offerings, as well as by purchasing 21 electric refuse trucks in early 2022.

The company also points to being the “first in the waste industry” to introduce natural gas-powered CNG trucks to its fleet as an example of its ambitious environmental goals.

“Although these vehicles were later deemed problematic by environmental advocates—and promptly replaced—this move demonstrated Filco’s continued commitment to investing in groundbreaking technologies designed to support environmental excellence,” the company says in a news release.

“Our commitment to sustainability is seen in everything we do, from our long-term education and outreach programs to the five new dedicated organic trucks we just ordered, which will expand our fleet to seven by the end of this year,” Fytros says. “We are also the exclusive partner of CBS’s BetterTogether Go Green Initiative, which focuses on educating viewers and investing in communities to positively impact the environment and encourage volunteerism.”

With more than 112 years of experience as a family-owned and operated business, Filco Carting serves more than 5,000 commercial, residential, industrial and institutional firms in the greater New York City metro area. Today, Filco remains the city’s longest-established waste management company.