MRF Recycling

A materials recovery facility (MRF) is a specialised plant that receives, sorts, and processes dry mixed recycling materials. They accept domestic, commercial, and industrial waste and sort the waste into single recyclable material streams. Mechanical and manual processes ensure as many recyclable materials are recovered as possible to re-enter the manufacturing process.

MRFs range in size with 108 sites spread across the UK. Crayford MRF in Dartford is the largest one in the UK, which processes 330,000 tonnes of recyclable rubbish every year. MRFs are operated by local authorities, major private contractors, the community/third sector, and SMEs.

A clean materials recovery facility only takes materials that have already been separated from municipal solid waste. Less labour and time are needed at the clean MRF as the materials should already be sorted by type. The clean materials are processed and sorted by specifications at the MRF. However, clean MRFs have lower recovery rates as materials may be disposed of before they reach the MRF.

Processes and methods can vary between materials recovery facilities, but each one generally follows these processes:

• Waste collection and transportation – domestic and commercial waste are collected by licensed waste carriers and transported to a nearby MRF.
• Separation – the waste is mostly processed by machinery that separates it into different recyclable streams (such as plastics, paper, and glass). Some manual separation may be required before it’s screened by hand to ensure high levels of accuracy.
• Cleaning – all the materials are then cleaned in their individual streams to remove any contaminants, using a combination of machines and by hand. Cleaning methods vary for the recyclables:
  • Glass cleaning – the glass passes under a magnet to remove any metals and then an air classifier to remove any paper.
  • Metal cleaning – a magnet or eddy current separator is used to remove any non-ferrous metals.
  • Plastic cleaning – optical sorting machines or workers separate any plastic containers using the machine or by hand.
• Baling – cardboard, paper, plastic, and metals are all baled in their individual waste streams. Glass may be placed in separate containers.
• Distribution – the bales or containers of recyclable materials are sent out to recycling plants, manufacturers, and other places for recycling and reuse.

MRFs are important for waste management as they provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution, especially for household waste. Having individual bins for each type of recyclable rubbish (glass, paper, cardboard, plastic, and metal) would be impractical. They’d take up lots of space and require more collections, which would use even more fuel.

This would lead to higher waste management costs and a negative environmental impact due to the additional transportation journeys. Instead, the importance of a material recovery facility for waste management helps keep costs down for domestic waste removal and recycling. Plus, it ensures efficient separation and high recovery rates.

There’s a great importance of MRFs for businesses too. They help companies improve their recycling rates by recovering dry mixed recycling to ensure your business has a positive environmental impact. Greater recycling means less commercial waste goes to landfill too, which can reduce how much landfill tax you pay for lower business waste management costs.

Book commercial waste collection anywhere in the UK with Business Waste and rest assured that your rubbish is disposed of responsibly. Our large national network means we work with many materials recovery facilities across the UK. Your dry mixed recycling may be taken to a nearby MRF for processing.

All waste we collect is diverted away from landfill to help protect the environment and save your company money. We can provide free bins to store your dry mixed recycling and other individual waste streams – you only pay for collection. Daily, weekly, and fortnightly collections are available.