Cumberland County Improvement Authority opens single-stream MRF in Millville, New Jersey

Cumberland County Improvement Authority

The Cumberland County Improvement Authority (The Authority), Millville, New Jersey, has opened a 12,000-square-foot material recovery facility (MRF) that it has named New Leaf. The MRF is located within the Solid Waste Complex of The Authority on Jesse Bridge Road in Millville. The MRF will focus on sorting, baling and shipping to market recyclables from The Authority’s single-stream county recycling program.

The Authority has teamed up with New York-based Closed Loop Partners and Baltimore-based Canusa Hershman to finance New Leaf. The companies did not disclose how much they invested in the new MRF.

According to a statement from Canusa Hershman, that company plans to market all outbound materials produced at New Leaf.

According to a news release from The Authority, the New Leaf MRF will enable nearby communities to manage materials locally through small-scale recycling units. The MRF’s recycling units were manufactured by Denver-based Revolution Systems. Canusa Hershman says this is the first MRF on the East Coast to use a Revolution Systems unit. 

The Authority says the recycling units are less capital intensive than units found in traditional large-scale recycling facilities. They feature a revolving table that helps the sorting process. The design enables multiple chances at recovery, enabling the MRF to capture recyclables that otherwise might escape the initial sorting process.

“Enhancing local recycling capabilities enables the community to benefit from new revenue opportunities, a healthier environment and new jobs,” says Ron Gonen, founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners. “We’re proud to work with The Authority and Canusa Hershman to accelerate a more modern, resilient future for recycling, rethinking the status quo and championing new designs and local, small-scale facilities. This will be a critical part of building a more circular economy that keeps valuable materials out of nature and landfills and in manufacturing supply chains.”

According to The Authority, the New Leaf MRF receives an average of 65 tons of recycling material per day and has the potential to scale up in anticipation of future growth in the county. The MRF operates on-site at The Authority’s Solid Waste Complex, deriving its energy from gases harvested from the landfill also located on-site. The Authority says New Leaf helps to localize MRF operations, eliminating the need to transfer recyclables to another MRF outside of the county.

“It’s been our mission to protect the local environment and simultaneously to improve the economic viability of Cumberland County,” says The Authority president and CEO Gerard Velazquez III. “The MRF fulfills both aspects of this mission elegantly, and we believe that it demonstrates a willingness to chart our own course toward a better future.”