Date: November 15, 2012
Source: Waste Management, Inc.
Waste Management, Inc. (Houston, TX) has opened a new "state-of-the-art" single-stream recycling facility in Winston-Salem, NC, coinciding with America Recycles Day. The 85,000-square-foot facility employs the latest advanced technology for separating materials and increasing capacity while simplifying the lives of customers who can put everything into a single container. That according to Richard Huckabee, Waste Management's director of recycling for the South Atlantic area, can result in an average recovery of up to 30 percent more recyclable materials. Waste Management now operates 36 single-stream recycling facilities in North America. In 2011, the company extracted almost 12.9 million tons of recyclables from the waste stream - 61 percent more than its baseline in 2007. The company's goal is to manage more than 20 million tons a year of recyclable materials by 2020.
PRESS RELEASE
November 15, 2012
New Single-Stream Recycling Facility Debuts in Winston-Salem on America Recycles Day
Facility Expected To Boost Recycling Rates within North Carolina Community
Waste Management today celebrated America Recycles Day nationally with the grand opening of a state-of-the-art single-stream recycling facility. Local elected officials from Winston-Salem as well as neighboring communities, together with Waste Management employees, gathered for the unveiling of the new Material Recovery Facility (MRF) as part of America Recycles Day activities occurring from coast to coast.
"We have two reasons to celebrate today," said Tracey Shrader, area vice president for Waste Management's South Atlantic area. "We are offering residents a very convenient opportunity to engage in making their community sustainable and we are doing it on a day that is nationally recognized for all Americans to pledge to recycle more."
The 85,000-square-foot facility, located at Union Cross Business Park in Winston-Salem, employs advanced recycling technology to provide better separation of materials, increase capacity and improve local recycling participation.
According to Richard Huckabee, Waste Management's director of recycling for the South Atlantic area, this technology can result in an average recovery of up to 30 percent more recyclable materials. "Single-stream processing allows residents an economically sustainable recycling option that will not only increase recycling rates, but also conserves natural resources and preserves valuable landfill space," he said.
Single-stream technology offers residents a convenient way to recycle. "To the local resident, this means they will no longer have to separate their recyclables," Huckabee said. "They can simply throw all their recyclables into a single container."
Waste Management is North America's largest recycler of post-consumer waste. In 2011, the company extracted almost 12.9 million tons of recyclables from the waste stream - 61 percent more than its baseline in 2007. The company's goal is to manage more than 20 million tons a year of recyclable materials by 2020.
Waste Management currently operates 36 single-stream recycling facilities in North America. These facilities are part of Waste Management's continued investment in new ways to recycle - and ways to recycle new things. In 2012 and beyond, in addition to expanding its single-stream recycling capacity, the amount of material handled is expected to grow even faster than in the past as the company employs advanced technologies, builds infrastructure to collect and process organic materials, and invests in new ways to unlock more value from organic waste.
About America Recycles Day
America Recycles Day, a program of Keep America Beautiful, is a nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. Every year on or around Nov. 15 (America Recycles Day) event organizers educate neighbors, friends and colleagues through thousands of events. Waste Management is a national sponsor along with other leading American companies. For more information, visit www.americarecyclesday.org.
About Waste Management
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are the largest residential recycler and also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill-gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.
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