Miami-Dade County to begin utilizing single-stream system

Waste Management, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, WM Recycle America (WMRA), announced a partnership with Miami-Dade County to launch one of the nation’s largest residential single-stream recycling programs.

Located in Pembroke Pines, Florida, the 100,000 sq. ft. facility has the capacity to process up to 1,000 tons of recyclables per day and is the largest and most advanced single-stream recycling operation in the nation. It is also only one of two in the state and the first of its kind in the South Florida area.

The facility employs advanced recycling technology including magnets, screens and optical scanners to automate the sorting of recyclables.

The efficiency of the single-stream process can improve local recycling programs by increasing capacity, resulting in an average recovery of up to 30 percent more recyclable materials, while maintaining material quality equal to if not better than traditional recycling processes.

“The single-stream recycling process makes it much easier for our residents to recycle,” said Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management director Kathleen Woods-Richardson. “With more than 340,000 households, the new Miami-Dade recycling program can make a tremendous positive impact on our environment.”

Waste Management operates 31 single-stream recycling facilities across the country and an additional 4 to 5 will begin construction or open this year.