Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

Not a Traditional MRF

In May 1996, the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) began operations at the District's center
of waste processing. The 95,000-square-foot building was completed at a cost of $9.6 million.

This unique facility is different from traditional MRF's. Instead of processing only paper, cardboard, bottles and cans, the District's MRF targets materials brought in from self-haul
loads and commercial wastes, construction and demolition debris, woodwaste and yardwastes.

A 60 Percent Recovery Rate

The strategy for the MRF was to recover heavy and inert components from the  wastestream
and to dramatically reduce the tonnage going to the landfill. (Garbage trucks hauling residential garbage and wet commercial waste are still sent directly to the landfill.)

The building was designed to process 400 tons per day (tpd) of mixed waste and  200 tpd of yardwaste and woodwaste. Although the MRF handles less tonnage per day than that, it has achieved its current goal of diverting 64% of the incoming material.

Secret of the Green MRF

Recycled construction materials are hidden everywhere in the MRF building: in its  base rock, in the fiberglass and cellulose insulation, the wall paneling, bathroom tiles, and bathroom partitions. And check out the floor covering in the employee meeting areas...it's made from recycled tires! The MRF's special design features earned a  $34,000 rebate from PG&E for energy conservation. The MRF also won the 1997 "Steel Building of the Year Award" from the Systems Builders Association.

Cameras-Action-Sort!

The MRF's Public Education Room is a place where visitors can safely view the tipping floor, sort lines, and wood grinding operations. Four video cameras are installed in the facility to show live action on a television monitor. Tour groups can follow an item being dumped on the tipping floor through the sorting process.