Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?
Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of Graph Search.
Concept
Materials recovery facility
Summary
A materials recovery facility, materials reclamation facility, materials recycling facility or Multi re-use facility (MRF, pronounced "murf") is a specialized plant that receives, separates and prepares recyclable materials for marketing to end-user manufacturers. Generally, there are two different types: clean and dirty materials recovery facilities.
In the United States, there are over 300 materials recovery facilities. The total market size is estimated at 82, versus a value of around $45 per ton. Composition of the ton included 28% mixed paper and 24% old corrugated containers (OCC).
Prices for OCC declined into 2019. Three paper mill companies have announced initiatives to use more recycled fiber.
Glass recycling is expensive for these facilities, but a study estimated that costs could be cut significantly by investments in improved glass processing. In Texas, Austin and Houston have facilities which have invested glass recycling, built and operated by Balcones Recycling and FCC Environment, respectively.
Robots have spread across the industry, helping with sorting.
Waste enters a MRF when it is dumped onto the tipping floor by the collection trucks. The materials are then scooped up and placed onto conveyor belts, which transports it to the pre-sorting area. Here, human workers remove some items that are not recyclable, which will either be sent to a landfill or an incinerator. Between 5 and 45% of "dirty" MRF material is recovered. Potential hazards are also removed, such as lithium batteries, propane tanks, and aerosol cans, which can create fires. Materials like plastic bags and hoses, which can entangle the recycling equipment, are also removed.
Official source
About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
Ontological neighbourhood
Related courses (13)
ENV-304: Treatment and valorization of water and waste
Les systèmes eaux et déchets en Suisse: du traitement end-of-pipe à la fermeture des cycles. Principes de l'adduction, de l'évacuation et du traitement des eaux. Bases du dimensionnement des ouvrages,
ENV-500: Solid waste engineering
The book "Solid Waste Engineering - A Global Perspective" is the basis for this course. This textbook is an excellent introduction to the field of Solid Waste Engineering and gives insight into releva
MSE-430: Life cycle engineering of polymers
Students understand what life cycle engineering is and apply this methodology to adapt and improve the durability of polymer-based products. They understand how to recycle these materials and are able
Related lectures (41)
Building Envelope and Energy Production
Explores building envelopes, energy production, SIMAPRO software, inventory creation, and BIPV analysis.
Composite Materials: Properties, Implementation, Design
Explores composite materials properties, implementation, and design, including selection, mechanics, and recycling.
Sustainable Solar Backpacks: Design, Market Strategy, and Business Model
Covers the design and market strategy of sustainable solar backpacks and affordable housing solutions.
Related publications (53)
Related people (11)
Related concepts (10)
Plastic pollution
Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized by size into micro-, meso-, or macro debris. Plastics are inexpensive and durable, making them very adaptable for different uses; as a result, manufacturers choose to use plastic over other materials.
Mechanical biological treatment
A mechanical biological treatment (MBT) system is a type of waste processing facility that combines a sorting facility with a form of biological treatment such as composting or anaerobic digestion. MBT plants are designed to process mixed household waste as well as commercial and industrial wastes. The terms mechanical biological treatment or mechanical biological pre-treatment relate to a group of solid waste treatment systems.
Kerbside collection
Kerbside collection or curbside collection is a service provided to households, typically in urban and suburban areas, of collecting and disposing of household waste and recyclables. It is usually accomplished by personnel using specially built vehicles to pick up household waste in containers that are acceptable to, or prescribed by, the municipality and are placed on the kerb. Before the 20th century, the amount of waste produced by a household was relatively small.