Midwest Fiber Invests $3M in Recycling Facility Upgrades

The next level for recycling processing is coming to Midwest Fiber Recycling in Normal, Ill., the company recently announced. To stay ahead of changing market conditions, Midwest Fiber is undergoing a $3 million equipment addition and upgrade that will enable the facility to more efficiently sort materials from contamination and increase processing capabilities.

The investment translates into a 33 percent increase in the plant’s recycling capabilities. Midwest Fiber receives single stream materials from throughout Central Illinois, which is upwards of 700 trucks delivering material each month. 

All new equipment was designed and built by Bulk Handling Systems.       

This expansion is Midwest’s third since the plant opened in 2011; the last expansion was in 2013. Midwest said it has invested a total of more than $5 million in the plant expansions in the last seven years. These expansions have enabled Midwest to increase the number of recyclables diverted from landfills for its recycling partners.

“Even though our facility is still fairly new, we strive to continue to keep up with the changing markets and material streams coming into our facility,” said Todd Shumaker, vice president of sales and marketing for Midwest Fiber, in a statement. “Our goal is to continue to provide the best service in the Midwest, where our recycling partners can recycle as many materials as possible and have confidence that as much material is diverted from landfills as possible. With the addition of three new pieces of equipment and upgrades to others, we can continue to achieve these goals.”

“The material stream is constantly changing. With more online purchases, we are seeing more cardboard than ever before and we needed to adjust for that. Also, with more types of plastic packaging for the products we buy, there is more confusion as to what of that can be recycled. We end up with a lot of things that are not recyclable, and we needed to add more equipment to help pull those out of the stream,” added Shumaker.