Waste Management has opened a 60,000-square-foot, single-stream material recovery facility (MRF) in Philadelphia that can process more than 20,000 tons of recyclables per month. The $20 million facility is located on a former brownfield site.

The facility, which will employ about 70 people, accepts materials from the city of Philadelphia’s single-stream residential recyclables collection program as well as from other communities and commercial customers in the area.

The MRF has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The MRF’s siding and roofing contain more than 80 percent recycled content, according to Waste Management.

“Waste Management is focused on recovering more the valuable materials in waste through the use of advanced technologies such as single-stream recycling,” said Patrick DeReuda, president of Waste Management Recycle America, in a statement. “By making the process of handling recyclables simpler for local residents and businesses, this facility has the potential to significantly increase local recycling participation rates, enabling us to further reduce waste, recover more material and improve the effectiveness of municipal and commercial recycling programs.”

“Philadelphia’s recycling program is good for the city environmentally and economically,” said Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter in a statement. “Single-stream recycling makes keeping the city clean as easy as possible for our residents.”

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Waste Management's Philadelphia Material Recovery Facility