Republic Services has opened a new residential recycling center capable of processing 2 million pounds of recyclable material per day, or 70 tons per hour, and is expected to double recycling capacity in the southern Nevada area.
The Southern Nevada Recycling Center uses several advanced recycling technologies, including five optical sorters that use 2D and 3D technologies to make material separation decisions in milliseconds.
The Center’s recycling systems also provide operators with a highly automated, touch screen control system, as well as tablet-based capabilities that allow for real-time systems management and monitoring, data acquisition and remote access.
Republic installed a Learning Center in the Southern Nevada Recycling Center, which features sustainability oriented educational displays and community videos, as well as a live video stream of recycling operations. The Learning Center also offers visitors a rare, 360-degree view of the recycling process in an observation deck that sits above live operations.
The facility includes several green building features as well. More than 75 percent of the 110,000 square foot building was made from recycled or remanufactured steel. There are 1,776 solar energy panels on the roof that are expected to generate enough renewable energy to fulfill 15 percent of the building’s power requirements. Inside the building, automatic low-flow water fixtures will reduce consumption by more than 20 percent.
The Southern Nevada Recycling Center is located next to an existing 88,000 square-foot recycling facility. Together, they comprise the largest known residential recycling operation in North America, and use the most advanced recycling technologies available, the company says.
Republic Services operates 66 recycling centers nationwide, and processes roughly 5 million tons of recyclable material annually.
Earlier this year Republic Services added a new landfill-gas-to-energy project, bringing the company’s total to 74 such projects.
