Waste Management, Inc. and
the Alameda County Waste Management Authority announce a public-private
partnership to develop a $2.6 million Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at the
Davis Street Transfer Station in San Leandro, California.
The new transfer station
will be owned and operated by Waste Management, Inc., with underwriting
assistance at the rate of $15/ton from the Alameda County Waste Management
Authority. Such assistance will be linked to the amount of material recycled
through the facility.
"This is a classic
'win-win' situation. By entering into this partnership, Waste Management firmly
establishes its leadership role in the recycling industry, and Alameda County
cities will reap the benefits," says San Leandro Mayor Shelia Young, who
serves on the Alameda County Waste Management Authority Board of Directors.
The MRF will sort recyclable
materials from loads of trash brought to the transfer station by hauling
companies and private individuals. Such materials, that would otherwise go to
the landfill, include cardboard, paper, wood, metal, concrete,
"green" or yard waste and soil.
Materials will be sorted at
the new facility, using conveyor belts, magnets, screens and hand labor. The
MRF is estimated to capture an additional 25,000 tons per year of materials for
recycling, and will also create 23 new jobs.
For local jurisdictions
throughout the county, the facility will provide the maximum "bang for the
buck", says Tom Padia, Recycling Director for the Alameda County Waste
Management Authority. "The payments are strictly performance-based and we
are paying only for tangible results," he says.
According to Waste
Management, the facility will greatly enhance the ability of Alameda County
jurisdictions to meet strict waste reduction mandates contained in state and
local law.
"These latest additions
to the Davis Street Transfer Station are a part of our long range plan to
develop the Station into a full-service recycling park which combines re-use,
recycling, composting, and transfer operations in one location," says Jack
Isola, District Manager for the Davis Street Transfer Station. "The
investments we're making in new recycling infrastructure will enable us to
better serve our customers."
Waste Management's Davis
Street Transfer Station is one of the largest recycling parks in the United
States. The facility diverted 237,233 tons of recyclables in 1999.
Waste Management, through
its wholly owned subsidiary, Recycle America, operates more than 160 MRFs
across the United States. Through its extensive network, Waste Management
markets more than five million tons of recycled materials each year and is
qualified to manage recovery and recycling on a national scale.
The Alameda County Waste
Management Authority is a public joint powers agency representing each city in
Alameda County. It mission is to achieve the most environmentally sound waste
management program for the people of the County. The agency offers a wide range
of programs in the areas of waste prevention, pubic education, home composting,
recycled product procurement, green building, technical assistance, low
interest loans, and grants.
The MRF is expected to be in
operation by September 2001.

Explore the November 2000 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
Latest from Recycling Today
- Missouri city expands recycling capabilities with funding from The Recycling Partnership
- Port of LA reports hectic June
- Trade issues have nonferrous scrap heading into US
- Recycle BC portrays its end markets
- MP Materials to collaborate with Apple on rare earth elements recycling
- ABTC awarded $1M by DOE for Argonne Laboratory partnership
- Ocean Conservancy report claims most states lagging in plastic pollution efforts
- LRS diverts 330,000 tons of recyclable material in 2024