Staff Reports | Community Updates
The Phoenix Public Works Department celebrated the grand reopening of one of the facilities where your household recyclables are sorted.
The 27th Ave. Materials Recovery Facility underwent a four-year renovation that completely replaced all the old sorting equipment with more modern sorting technology, according to a press release.
“This is a major investment in sustainability,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renovated MRF. “This beautiful facility will help make sure that we can recycle more of what you put in your blue bin, and that we can make a higher profit from selling those items because they’ll be able to be reused more efficiently.”
With the ceremonial push of a button, Mayor Gallego started up the equipment. The modernized machinery sorts items more accurately and will decrease contamination, thanks to AI and robotic technology. That in turn makes the resulting bales of cardboard, paper, plastics, and aluminum more valuable to buyers who remanufacture the materials into new products.
“This upgraded machinery significantly increases our recovery compared to the previous system,” said Lorizelda Stoeller, assistant public works director. “It’s our city’s commitment to critical infrastructure to ensure that we can provide MRF operations for a growing city.”
