WM building new MRF in Texas

Construction is underway at what the city of Fort Worth, Texas, is calling a “state-of-the-art” material recovery facility.

Houston-based WM will operate the 110,000-square-foot MRF that has been designed to process up to 144,000 tons per year of recyclables.

“WM is committed to environmental stewardship, supporting local communities and increasing access to recycling in North Texas and beyond,” says Domenica Farmer, WM TexOma area vice president. “Construction of the new WM Fort Worth Recycling Facility is an important part of our investment in innovative recycling solutions that will help fuel a circular economy.”

Fort Worth officials say the city of nearly 1 million “continues to grow,” adding that as it does, there is a continued focus on sustainability in its long-range planning, particularly through reuse and recycling. In 1972, Fort Worth had fewer than 400,000 people, while now it is home to nearly 980,000, according to United States Census Bureau data.

According to the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership agency, Fort Worth ranks as the 12th largest city in the U.S., ahead of Boston, San Francisco and Seattle. Among the top 25 largest cities in America, Fort Worth experienced an impressive 5.9 percent growth rate, adding 54,866 people, from 2020 to 2023, earning it the top spot in percentage growth.

Officials say the planned MRF is intended to allow the city to collect more types of plastics for recycling and improve material quality for end users through the use of intelligent sorting technologies, where conveyors and optical sorters communicate with each other and with technicians.

Another anticipated result is to increase the capture of recyclable material through the inclusion of an additional optical sorting line.

“This project leverages technology to promote resource recovery with recyclable material as a resource,” says Cody Whittenburg, environmental services director for Fort Worth. “Having a state-of-the-art recycling facility in Fort Worth will have numerous positive impacts for the community. The project also serves to highlight the importance of being mindful of recycling, recycling education and long-term sustainability.”

Fort Worth approved WM’s request-for-proposal bid for recycling processing services in 2023. WM is currently processing recyclables for the city at its Arlington Recycling Facility about 15 miles away.

“This project is part of WM’s enterprisewide plans to invest over $1 billion in new and upgraded recycling facilities across North America from 2022 to 2026, which is expected to add approximately 2.8 million tons of incremental annual processing capacity by the end of 2026,” the city says.

The city of Fort Worth anticipates the WM Fort Worth Recycling Facility will be operational by the end of next year.