Understanding What it Takes to Operate a Successful MRF

Materials recovery facilities (MRFs) face a variety of challenges today, and handling highly contaminated material coming into MRFs is at the top of the list. That challenge has intensified amid the implementation of China’s waste import restrictions.

According to a Resource Recycling report, this is why Closed Loop Fund is laser-focused on understanding what it takes to operate and sustain a successful MRF. The article dives into the biggest challenges to MRF profitability and explains how leading MRFs across the country are overcoming these challenges.

Resource Recycling has more details:

In the past year, U.S. recycling infrastructure has experienced significant changes in commodity values and end markets. Materials recovery facilities (MRFs) sit at the critical intersection between our “waste” and value that can be extracted from the reuse and recycling of commodities. As MRFs and municipalities evaluate the evolution of the waste and recycling industry, Closed Loop Fund shares four key practices for MRF success.

Closed Loop Fund’s goal is to accelerate the development of the circular economy by building a closed loop between consumption and reuse of consumer materials. We do this by investing in infrastructure and technology at all points along the chain of custody of post-consumer materials, from collection and sortation to processing and manufacturing of cutting-edge products that represent new or expanded markets for recycled materials.

Related:Tackling Contamination in the Era of E-commerce, China’s Import Ban

At face value, the MRF business model is simple. MRFs take in commingled recyclables, separate the materials, and then sell the sorted materials to buyers who process and transform them into new products. The new products are sold to consumers, and the process begins again.

Read the full article here.