To anyone who hears the term dirty MRF (pronounced “murf”) it sounds vaguely unpleasant, perhaps even insulting. Perhaps, when you first heard it, you thought that the person who said it must have been struck by a speech impediment.
A dirty MRF (Material Recovery Facility) is a waste processing facility, which accepts deliveries of WCV (Waste Collection Vehicles), as a mixed solid waste stream (also known as residual waste or black bag waste) . The other type of MRF, Clean MRF, accepts only mixed types of materials collected on the curb during the recycled waste collection week for the biweekly waste collection schemes, or in the recycled containers placed in the weekly collection schemes in the houses.
The plant and / or labor employed within the plant separate designated recyclable materials through a combination of manual and mechanical sorting. This often includes a trommel screen and a magnetic separator for removing cans and cans and other metal objects. Additionally, classified recyclable materials may undergo additional processing necessary to meet technical specifications set by end markets. The remainder, after automatic processing or manual collection, of the mixed waste stream is sent to a disposal facility, such as a landfill.
In other words, a dirty MRF is one where all trash enters the processing facility and workers sort recyclables from the trash. This type of waste treatment technology accepts mixed waste and recyclable materials, and the separation occurs within the plant. The recyclable materials that are disposed of are then sent to the pre-processors and any residual material that is not suitable for processing is disposed of.
A dirty MRF recovers between five and 45 percent of the incoming material as recyclable materials. The remaining amount is mainly disposed of in landfills, but in some cases it would be disposed of in another way, such as by incineration. However, because material entering a clean MRF typically weighs 50-100 pounds per cubic yard and material entering a dirty MRF weighs around 350 pounds per cubic yard, clean and dirty MRF designs vary. significantly.
Processing costs can go up (due to capital costs and the inability to hide labor costs from unpaid owners) and sales prices can go down if the process produces poorer quality recyclables. The odor from the process can cause significant complaints from local residents if the waste is not dealt with effectively with a wet scrubber.
Recycling services are available at most dirty MRFs and are generally located at the entrance of the MRF transfer station area, and newspapers, cardboard, aluminum, tin / steel, plastic, and brown, transparent and green glass.
Recycling is about creating new materials from old ones and these materials have to compete with virgin raw materials. As a result, the markets for recyclables fluctuate widely, influenced by the supply and demand for both virgin and recycled materials.
Recyclable materials are disposed of by manual and automatic sorting. Filtered less than two-inch fines (the mixed organic waste fraction) are typically composted with yard trimmings and wood.
The separation and classification of waste is initially achieved by a combination of the head of household and the collection team, defending the type of vehicle used for collection and the requirements and capabilities of the MRF.
Such activity could take place within the cities of any district, perhaps in existing General Employment Areas or on land with employment use. Separators are necessary for those operations that involve both large quantities and multiple types of waste. Limited material flows of one or two types of recyclable materials can be managed by manual sorting and separation.
