Republic Services opens Texas recycling facility

On April 8, Republic Services Inc., Phoenix, celebrated the opening of its new "Next-Gen" recycling facility and learning center in Plano, Texas. The 77,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility serves more than 510,000 residents and 2,500 commercial customers throughout Plano, Richardson and other neighboring cities. 

"This facility exemplifies Republic Services' commitment to helping ensure local recycling programs in Plano and the surrounding communities remain durable and sustainable for the long term," says Pete Keller, vice president of recycling and sustainability, in a news release. "We know consumers want to do their part to help the environment and to be better recyclers, and we will continue to partner with municipalities to educate their residents through our Recycling Simplified campaign. We all need to do our part to ensure only clean recyclables are in the recycling container." 

On average, recycling contamination levels are at 30 percent, Republic says, which means the separation of clean recyclables from contaminated material is more important than ever. The Plano facility uses highly advanced sorting technologies to process 350 tons of recyclable material per day, separating material in milliseconds, Republic says. This includes optical sorters, next-generation anti-wrap fiber screens and other innovative techniques. Additionally, an automated touch-screen control system and tablet-based capabilities allow for real-time systems management and monitoring, data acquisition and remote access from anywhere in the world.

The Plano Center includes a first-of-its-kind interactive learning center designed to educate consumers about recycling. Visitors of all ages can get a first-hand view of the recycling process from the observation deck, view recycling and sustainability educational videos and colorful displays, and play interactive games throughout the 5,000-square-foot learning space. Public tours of the learning center should be scheduled in advance, Republic says. More information about how to become a better recycler and reduce contamination rates can be found online.

Republic says the opening of its new Plano Recycling Center builds upon the company’s ongoing commitment to recycling and its Blue Planet sustainability platform. Republic owns and operates 91 recycling facilities nationwide and processes approximately 8 million tons of recyclable material annually.