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Phoenix reopens upgraded Materials Recovery Facility to expand recycling capacity
Summary
City of Phoenix officials on hand Friday celebrated the grand reopening of a renovated Materials Recovery Facility that adds sorting robots, optical sorters and can process about 30 tons per hour to boost curbside recycling for roughly 420,000 residents.
City of Phoenix officials and partners on Friday celebrated the grand reopening of the 20 Seventh Avenue Materials Recovery Facility, a renovated materials recovery facility (MRF) the city says will increase recycling rates and processing efficiency.
"We're really excited for you to be here today, at our grand reopening of 20 Seventh Avenue Materials Recovery Facility, otherwise also known as a MRF," said Lori Zaldesteller, Assistant Public Works Director for the city's Solid Waste Division, at the event. "We're providing collection to over 420,000 City of Phoenix residents every week."
The upgraded MRF includes two ballistic separators, 11 optical sorters, a sorting robot and a new front-end solution; the facility has an operating capacity of about 30 tons per hour, city staff said. The facility will be operated by Balcones Recycling under the city's partnership arrangements and was built with contractors that include McCarthy Construction and engineering firm Gannett Fleming.
"This beautiful facility will help make sure that we can recycle more of what you put in your blue bin and that we can make a higher profit from selling those items because they'll be able to be reused more efficiently," Mayor Kate Gallego said. She described the project as part of a broader push toward a circular economy and called the site a future hub for entrepreneurs and educational visits tied to the city's Resource Innovation Campus vision.
Deputy Public Works Director Eduardo Rodriguez thanked construction and operations teams and identified several staff and contractors by name, including engineer Doug Sawyer and project manager Ruth, and partners such as Machine X and Balcones. "McCarthy Construction was amazing working with us and getting things rolling," Rodriguez said as he recognized contractors and subcontractors involved in commissioning the site.
City officials said the MRF upgrade took four years and is intended to help Phoenix meet its waste-reduction goals, including a stated objective of zero waste by 2050 and cutting landfill waste in half by 2030. The project incorporates an integrated design the city says maximizes recyclable recovery from curbside collections and is intended to support local recycling markets and jobs, including apprenticeship pathways with LiUNA.
Event remarks also noted design ambitions tied to sustainability certifications and international partnerships: city officials referenced a design competition with C40 Cities' "Reinventing Cities" initiative and said the planned adjacent building aims to meet the Living Building Challenge certification.
The opening included a ceremonial system start and a ribbon cutting; tours of the facility were scheduled to follow.
