WM invests $56 million on new recycling technology in WA

WM — formerly known as Waste Management — is investing $56 million to advance recycling technology at three materials recovery facilities across Washington state, the company announced on Tuesday.

The money will be split between three facilities in Woodinville, Tacoma and Spokane. Of that money, $34 million will be used to rebuild WM’s Woodinville facility, which is still using the same equipment it started with in 2003.

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The rebuild will include new optical sorting systems, ballistic separators, and volumetric scanners. It is expected to increase overall recycling capacity and the capture-rate for materials like aluminum cans, paper, and cardboard.

Robert Jones, WM’s director of recycling operations, said the rebuild would allow the company to continue its “path for sustainability and creating a circular economy.”

“A facility like this is going to be able to generate cleaner, better commodities, which creates more demand in the marketplace for those recyclables,” Jones said while at WM’s Cascade Recycling Center in Woodinville on Tuesday. “(It means) more recyclables being diverted from landfills, less landfill waste, and those recyclables being reused.”

The Woodinville facility is expected to start its rebuild at the end of November. It’s expected to be completed by next summer.

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