Casella Reopens Boston-Area MRF

Casella Waste Systems Inc., Boston, has announced the reopening of its newly renovated material recovery facility (MRF) in Charlestown, Mass.

With eight optical sorters, seven disk screens and three magnets throughout the facility, the material is sorted as it arrives and is processed through the facility. Casella’s Zero-Sort, or single-stream, facility has the ability to process 45 tons per hour of material and currently processes 750 tons per day.

The new facility was retrofitted beginning last September. With municipalities looking towards single-stream recycling as a way to save money, Casella recognized there would be a need for such a facility located in Boston. A similar Casella facility is located in Auburn, Mass.

"Casella undertook this multi-million dollar renovation because we believe single-stream recycling, which we call Zero-Sort, is the wave of the future," says John Casella, president and CEO of Casella Waste Systems. "By going to a Zero-Sort process, municipalities can save money on trash disposal while increasing the rate of recycling among residents and local businesses."

Boston began single-stream recycling with Casella in July 2009. The program is expected to save the city approximately $1 million annually.

Casella has found that by going to a single-stream collection process, towns and cities can increase recycling by upwards of 40 percent and decrease solid waste by more than 20 percent in light of the ease and convenience of recycling without sorting.