Date: October 30, 2008
Source: Allied Waste Services
Allied Waste Begins Conversion of Buffalo Facility to Support Single-Stream Recycling
Company Investing $2 Million in New Technology and Plant Upgrades to Create State-of-the-Art Recycling Center
Allied Waste Services announced today that work has begun at its Buffalo Recyclery to upgrade the facility to single stream processing of recyclable materials instead of the dual-stream system used currently. Upon completion of the project, which is expected in the first quarter of 2009, Allied Waste's Buffalo facility will be able to process over 350 tons of recyclable material daily. Single stream is an innovative process that automates much of the sorting and bundling of waste materials such as paper, cardboard, bottles and cans for recycling.
"Allied Waste has 53 recycling centers around the country and this investment will put Buffalo among the most advanced facilities in the country," said John Beszczynski, Division Manager for the Buffalo Municipal Recycling Facility. "As a leading waste collection and environmental services company, Allied Waste recycles over 1.5 million tons of waste annually. By converting to single stream, we can help increase this number as we make participation easier for our customers, while improving processing efficiency at the center."
Today's dual-stream system requires that homeowners, small businesses or trash collection firms pre-sort recyclable materials. With single-stream capabilities, intermingled recyclables are delivered directly to the site. The recyclables are automatically conveyed through the facility, where handling systems using screens, air, vibration, magnets, optical sorters and other mechanical processes are used to separate the materials.
Allied Waste will invest approximately $2 million in upgrading its Buffalo recycling center, which has been providing recycling services to the area since 1991. The resulting switch to single stream recycling and advanced sorting technologies will enable the Company's Buffalo plant to capture additional plastics, all mixed and broken glass, and reduce the volume of recyclables going to area landfills.
"We look forward to working closely with our customers and the city of Buffalo to demonstrate our plant's capabilities and to help educate them on ways to increase recycling rates," said Beszczynski. "The site upgrades are expected to be completed in March 2009, after which we will host an open house for the community to meet our neighbors and to demonstrate the system's capabilities."
About Allied Waste
Allied Waste is America's second largest non-hazardous solid waste services company and an environmental leader. Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, Allied Waste provides waste collection, transfer, recycling and disposal services to millions of residential, commercial and industrial customers in over 100 markets spanning 38 states and Puerto Rico. Our team of 22,000 dedicated employees operates within a highly efficient, integrated organization that generated 2007 revenue of $6.1 billion.
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