BLT Enterprises to invest $10M at California MRF

BLT Enterprises, a privately held waste management and industrial real estate investment company, will invest $10 million in improvements at its Fremont, California, recycling and transfer station.

The 187,000-square-foot facility serves the municipal solid waste needs of Fremont, Newark and Union City, California. It also handles public disposal, recycling and household hazardous waste disposal. The facility is located at 41149 Boyce Road in Fremont.

Santa Monica, California-based BLT Enterprises says the improvements include the installation of state-of-the-art robotics and advanced sorting technology utilizing artificial intelligence-enabled optical sorters that will significantly improve the efficiency of the facility’s recycling efforts.

BLT says more than $3 million in improvements already have been completed at the facility as of Sept. 30, with several more still in progress.

“The upgrades to the Fremont recycling and transfer station mark a meaningful advancement in the City’s commitment to innovation and sustainability,” Fremont City Manager Karena Shackelford says. “These enhancements will significantly boost recycling recovery, decrease landfill waste, and propel us further towards achieving our climate action objectives. The city is proud to support BLT’s future-focused approach, which will directly benefit Fremont residents and businesses for years to come.”

BLT Enterprises secured $10 million in financing from City National Bank with the help of the California Pollution Control Financing Authority (CPCFA). BLT says the investment will go toward interior and exterior improvements to the material recovery facility, including an upgrade to the facility’s existing solar power system and the addition of two robots and five optical sorting machines.

The investment also led to substantial improvements to the facility’s employee amenities. BLT says it has created modernized gathering spaces, upgraded the facility’s restrooms and updated the site’s interior and exterior paint and fixtures. The solar panels were replaced with more efficient models that BLT says provide clean power to more than 65 percent of the facility.

The optical sorters and robots have been purchased and are undergoing training to optimize their capabilities. BLT plans to have them installed and fully operational by the end of 2025.

The new optical sorters use sensors and AI to identify and sort recyclable materials, including plastic, paper and metal. BLT says these new machines can quickly scan and separate, which will help optimize the recycling process, minimize employees’ exposure to waste, help reduce injuries and improve overall safety at the facility. The combination of robotic and optical sorting will drive improvements to cost, recycling rates and the quality of recycled materials.

“We are very excited to get these machines up and running,” says Rich Dubiel, general plant manager at the Fremont recycling and transfer station. “The robots and optical sorters will make our operations significantly more efficient, and we will be able to recover an additional 3 million pounds of recyclable material each year. That is a huge benefit to the community and the environment.”