Update: WM to build new C&D MRF in Tennessee

Houston-based WM has announced plans to build a new construction and demolition (C&D) material recovery facility (MRF) on-site at its Southern Services Eco Park location in Nashville, Tennessee, and expects the new facility to be operational by September.

The company says the C&D MRF is being designed to accept up to 1,200 tons per day of C&D materials, more than 10 times the site’s current recycling capacity.

“We are excited about this new facility and the opportunity to increase construction and demolition recycling capacity for the area,” says Don Gentilcore, Mid-South area director of disposal operations for WM. “Along with these infrastructure improvements, policy changes are also needed to address the region’s C&D waste crisis, and we look forward to working with the city as it implements new policies to incentivize C&D recycling and to create end markets for recovered materials.”

Regarding the situation in Nashville, Gentilcore tells the Recycling Today Media Group that “a combination of the lack of available disposal capacity and the explosive growth and development in the greater Nashville metropolitan area has resulted in a shortage of available C&D management options in the market.”

Adds Gentilcore, “This facility will not only help to provide a critical outlet for the management of C&D materials but will also provide a more sustainable solution for our customers.”

WM says it serves on Metro Nashville’s C&D steering committee, which has met quarterly over the last year to shape the city’s policy response to what is being termed a “C&D waste crisis.” Metro Nashville provided an update on its plans to phase in C&D recycling requirements at a March Solid Waste Region Board meeting, according to WM.

A report issued at that meeting listed C&D materials as a type of discarded material requiring further end market development, along with polypropylene (PP) and mixed rigid plastics and composted organic materials. Regarding C&D materials, the board said it was developing “best practices for reducing C&D debris to landfill and connect [its] project teams with resources for recycling materials.”

WM says the Southern Services business park where the new MRF is to be located also is home to the only C&D landfill in Davidson County (in which Nashville is the largest city). The development of a new C&D recycling facility on site will allow WM to provide additional disposal options and capacity to its customers, while still using the co-located landfill to dispose of nonrecyclable materials.

Southern Services currently accepts a limited amount of C&D material for recycling, primarily from sites seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification or to meet diversion goals. For the last several months, students and faculty from Tennessee State University (TSU) have been auditing the incoming C&D materials stream as a first step in a multi-year research engagement to better understand potential diversion and reuse strategies.

Gentilcore tells the Recycling Today Media Group that “wood, metal and aggregate materials are the most likely materials to be sorted and have ready end markets” as the new facility begins operations. “However, TSU is also looking at potential reuse opportunities for the C&D fines as well as gypsum markets for wallboard separation.”

In addition to C&D waste management, WM says it also has worked with Metro Nashville on processing residential recyclables at WM’s River Hills Recycling Facility. In 2022, the River Hills facility processed approximately 26,800 tons of material, 56 percent of which came from the agency’s residential recycling program. WM says that volume is “expected to grow substantially in 2023 now that Metro’s curbside recycling program has moved to every-other-week pick-up.”