Sims Adds Wind Turbine at New York City MRF

Sims Municipal Recycling has established New York City’s first commercial-scale wind turbine at its material recovery facility (MRF) in Brooklyn.

The New York City-based division of Sims Metal Management added a 100-kilowatt, nearly 160-foot tall wind turbine that will generate up to 4 percent of the electricity the Sunset Park MRF consumes, the company said in a news release.

The cost of the turbine, built on a naturally windy pier, totals about $750,000, and Sims said the turbine could pay for itself in five years, depending on wind and electricity costs.

The facility also includes a solar unit, so with the new wind operation up to 20 percent of the MRF’s energy will come from renewable resources. The 11-acre facility is located in the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

“As a recycling company, sustainability is central to our mission, and in Brooklyn, we saw the opportunity to advance that agenda in new ways,” said Tom Outerbridge, general manager of Sims Municipal Recycling. “The wind turbine, combined with the solar array, enables the facility to decrease its non-renewable energy consumption substantially.”