Big plans ahead

For more than a decade, Atlanta-based Recycling Management Resources (RMR) has committed to maximizing its client’s revenue generation from recyclable paper, plastic and metal scrap. The company specializes in servicing industrial facilities in the collection processing and movement of recyclable materials.

RMR started in 2008 with a single facility in Raleigh, North Carolina. That first year in business, they processed about 600 tons per month of recyclable paper and plastic.

“We had probably five or six employees when we started doing business,” says Reece Whitley, managing partner at RMR.

Since then, Whitley says the company has continued to expand its footprint steadily. RMR opened its second facility in 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky. It continued to grow and opened another facility in 2010 in High Point, North Carolina. Then, the company moved its headquarters in 2013 to the Atlanta area as a result of a greenfield startup.

“Today, we have eight recycling facilities and about 240 employees,” Whitley adds. “We are in seven states.”

New balers in Barrington

RMR further grew its business in January 2018, acquiring National Paper Recycling. Through that acquisition, the company acquired assets and operations—but not facilities—in Richmond, Virginia; Wilmington, Delaware; and Camden, New Jersey. As a result, RMR moved the three operations to new sites. The Camden operation moved to a new site in Barrington, New Jersey. The company also shifted business from its Philadelphia location to the Barrington plant.

With the new facility, RMR decided to upgrade equipment. Over the years, RMR has relied on American Baler in many instances. The company has purchased those machines through its dealer, Recycling Equipment Inc. (REI), Newton, North Carolina.

RMR partnered with REI to install its first American Baler—a model W721 widebox two-ram baler—in late 2010.

Scott Sharp, president of REI, says RMR was one of the first companies to purchase one of these widebox units. “Our strong partnership with American Baler makes it easy for us, in turn, to develop strong partnerships with companies like RMR,” Sharp says. “On projects this size, there is a lot that can potentially go wrong, so it’s crucial for there to be a team approach with all the players working together toward the same goal. That takes years of history together and a lot of hard work.”

Since then, RMR has installed eight American Balers. In February 2019, the company installed its latest two American Balers—another widebox two-ram and an auto-tie single-ram model 8043—at the Barrington site.

“We know about American Baler’s reputation and we’ve been happy with their balers,” Whitley says, adding that the company now has three model W721 two-ram balers. He notes that it’s helpful to have three of the same machine types at its operations as it allows for efficiencies with maintenance to minimize downtime.

Whitley says the 8043 installation was the company’s first time investing in a high-capacity American Baler auto-tie. RMR expects to process about 10,000 tons per month at the Barrington site, so Whitley adds that the company needed a larger, more powerful machine.

RMR’s model 8043 will bale mostly old corrugated containers. The company began operating both of its new balers in March 2019 at the Barrington location.

“With the volume we’ll run through this facility, which will be our largest facility, it will be neat to have the volume to support a machine as big and fast as this one,” he says. “We are excited about that.”