Waste Management Inc. has opened a recycling facility in Farmington, N.M.

The Houston-based Waste Management said in a news release it has begun operations at the Four Corners Regional Ecocenter, a 12,000-sq.-ft. facility processing recycling materials for Farmington and surrounding communities.

The facility now is processing 200 to 300 tons of recyclable materials a month, but Waste Management hopes to increase recycling capacity to 1,100 to 1,200 tons a month in the next year.

The facility is located at the San Juan County Regional Landfill, which is operated by Waste Management and owned by the county. Waste Management owns and operates the Four Corners facility, and contracted with the city to construct it.

The center will increase the life of the landfill and allow the county to collect recycling at its 12 waste stations.

The Ecocenter expands opportunities for local businesses to recycle, and for the county and Four Corners communities to adopt or expand their recycling programs.

“The city of Farmington is setting the pace and more advanced than many areas in the country for rural municipal recycling,” said Pat DeRueda, Waste Management area vice president for Desert Area AZ-NM.