Dem-Con Receives Approval to Build Minnesota MRF

Dem-Con Cos. has received approval to construct a 60,000-square foot materials recovery facility in Shakopee, Minn. The facility, which will open in late 2013, will procure, process and market what the Shakopee, Minn.-based company describes as high-quality recyclables.

A joint venture between recycling leader Dem-Con Companies and Liberty Paper Inc. (LPI), Becker, Minn., the Dem-Con Materials Recovery Facility will service area waste haulers and recyclers to process residentially and commercially generated recyclable materials and continue to reduce the amount of materials sent to area landfills. The new facility will be located at 13161 Dem-Con Dr. in Shakopee. When fully operational, the Dem-Con Materials Recovery Facility will have the capability to process 60 tons of fiber per hour and 20 tons of mixed recyclables per hour. The new facility will employ approximately 20 people.

“At Dem-Con Materials Recovery Facility, we are committed to processing and delivering high quality recyclables to product manufacturers,” says Dem-Con Chief Executive Officer Jason Haus. “By working closely with local recycling and waste collection companies, we will provide a steady stream of recyclable materials to the marketplace. We are doing our part to optimize recycling and recovery by keeping as many materials in the local market as possible.”

“By locating in Shakopee, we are well-positioned to serve all collectors located in the Twin Cities metro area as well as other geographic regions of the state,” says Dem-Con Vice President Bill Keegan. “We have sized our operation to meet current demand while preparing for future growth.”

In addition to the recyclable materials that are routinely collected through curbside residential programs or business and government collection points, Dem-Con Materials Recovery Facility will be a pioneer in the recyclable business and will actively seek ways to process recyclable materials that fall outside mainstream recycling programs.

“The quantity and type of recyclable materials we process are constantly changing, as is the collection process,” explains Haus. “By leveraging Dem-Con’s expertise in the processing and recovery market, as well as Liberty Paper’s end market experience, we can add increased economic value for our current and future customers.”

“We are excited to expand our current recycling capabilities in Shakopee, a community where we’ve done business for generations,” says Keegan. “Every advance we make is a win for our customers, our company, our community and the environment.”

Dem-Con Companies is a third generation family owned and operated facility that has been responsibly handling Twin Cities waste materials since 1965. Mark Pahl and Jason Haus are coowners of Dem-Con. Currently Dem-Con Companies consist of six divisions: Dem-Con Recovery & Recycling, Dem-Con Landfill, Dem-Con Shingle Processing, Dem-Con Green Fuels, Dem-Con Shamrock and Dem-Con Single Stream.

Founded in 1995, LPI is a state-of-the-art paper mill that recycles old corrugated containers into new paper for packaging. The mill manufactures recycled paper from more than 200,000 tons of old corrugated containers each year.