New Jersey recycling center opens single-stream system

The Occupational Training Center (OTC), Mount Holly, New Jersey, and Burlington County officials celebrated the grand opening of the new single-stream processing system at the Robert C. Shinn Jr. Recycling Center in Mount Holly. More than 75 people attended the celebration, which included guided tours of the 35-ton-per-hour system. Equipment for the system was designed and manufactured by San Diego-based The CP Group.

The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders funds the county’s Regional Recycling Program, which serves approximately 162,000 households from 40 municipalities.          

“Studies show that single stream brings with it an increase of 10 percent or more in recycling,” said Joseph Bender, OTC executive director. “At a rate of 35 tons per hour, the new single-stream system is capable of processing 60,000 tons per year, meeting the needs of county recyclers for the next 15 to 20 years.”

To sort incoming recyclables, the Robert C. Shinn Jr. Recycling Center uses state-of-the-art technology. The system includes a drum feeder, multiple screens with proprietary disc technology, a glass tommel and glass cleanup system, multiple magnets, two MSS Aladdin™ optical sorters and two two-ram balers.

“The implementation of a single-stream recycling process in Burlington County shows our strong commitment to protecting the environment using the most current technology available,” said Bruce Garganio, deputy director of Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders. “We are actively working to find more sustainable practices and to facilitating environmentally friendly choices for our nearly 420,000 residents.”

Since 1982, the OTC has operated Burlington County’s Regional Recycling Program. The program is funded through tipping fees with no additional costs to the towns served. In 2014 alone, it saved county municipalities $3.38 million in avoided landfill disposal costs, according to a press release from The CP Group.

“It’s a win-win for everyone who lives and works in Burlington County,” said Joseph Howarth, a former Burlington County freeholder. “The more we recycle, the less we need to landfill. Those cost-savings are effectively tax savings since they improve the bottom line of municipal budgets.”

The OTC of Burlington County is a private nonprofit that offers diversified vocational rehabilitation and job placement programs for individuals with disabilities. Through the recycling program, OTC employs 55 individuals with disabilities.

“At OTC, our mission is to help individuals with disabilities reach their higher potential,” said Bender. “Our programs provide disabled adults with the skills and training needed to succeed in the work environment vocationally, socially and personally.”

Construction of the single-stream recycling system began Feb. 17, 2014, and was completed Jan. 23, 2015. The lead contractor on the project was Dandrea Construction Inc., based in Berlin, New Jersey.

“As a resident of Burlington County, I had a personal interest in seeing the successful completion of the single stream recycling facility,” said John A. Dandrea, president of Dandrea Construction. “The construction team assigned to this project was able to minimize the downtime of the existing plant. They overcame several unforeseen conditions and were able to complete the project ahead of schedule. I am very proud to have played a part in the transformation of the recycling facility.”

“The upgrade of the dual-stream system to a new state-of-the art 35-tons-per-hour residential single stream system was a smooth conversion,” said Patrick Nicol, CP Group sales engineer. “While adhering to the OTC’s mission to train and employ individuals with disabilities, the new sorting system utilizes the latest screening and automated sorting technologies and configuration offering maximum flexibility for todays and tomorrows material stream compositions. We are proud to be part of such a successful project.”

The CP Group engineers and manufactures all MRF components, including conveyors, disc screens, air separation machines, trommels, optical sorters, magnets and intelligent motor control and data acquisition systems. The CP Group comprises CP Manufacturing, Krause Manufacturing, MSS, and Advanced MRF.