ReCommunity to reopen Detroit-area MRF

Charlotte, North Carolina-based ReCommunity will rebuild and reopen the Southfield Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), Southfield, Michigan, with the Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County (RRRASOC).

The renovation of the building, located on 8 Mile Road in Southfield, has been undergoing repairs and reconstruction for eight months, Recommunity says, and will be completed this summer. A fire closed the facility in 2014. ReCommunity says it has ordered the equipment to process the collected recyclables, targeting an early 2016 reopening.

Sean Duffy, ReCommunity president, says, “We are pleased to be able to partner with RRRASOC and reinvest in the Detroit market area MRF.”

He  continues, “We have had a long-standing partnership with the authority, and their willingness to co-invest to rebuild the recycling facility is critical to our future together. Their commitment to driving a community-centric recycling solution, which will bring jobs to the city and help drive resource recovery throughout the region, is perfectly aligned with our core values and brand.”

Duffy adds, “We have worked with RRRASOC for several years and we are excited to extend our partnership together.”

ReCommunity says it engaged in an extensive equipment review process, striving to ensure that the new processing system will continue a tradition of maximizing recovery of recycled materials. The processing system that resulted from this analysis will be constructed and installed by Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Stamford, Connecticut, and is a state-of-the-art, turnkey Bollegraaf system. It includes extensive applications of the most current recycling equipment technology, including optical sorting and ballistic separation technologies, to maximize quality and efficiency, Recommunity says.

RRRASOC, which helps manage resource recovery for a consortium of seven communities in Oakland County, has funded the building construction and will partner with ReCommunity to invest in and install the new processing system.

RRRASOC General Manager Mike Csapo says, “We have worked for several months to ensure that our co-investment with ReCommunity will restore jobs to the region, as well as help develop local buyers for the recovered commodities we will generate. This is a great example of how a public-private partnership can lead to enhanced community benefits for our local cities and the region.”

ReCommunity operates 31 facilities in 14 states.