Greenstar Opens Iowa Facility

Greenstar North America, based in Houston, has opened its Des Moines, Iowa, single-stream recycling facility.The material recovery facility (MRF) uses automated sorting and processing technology that has resulted in a five-fold increase in capacity per hour compared to the previous system.   

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, Metro Waste Authority Chairman Gary Welch and Greenstar CEO Matt Delnick will attend a grand opening event today, May 19.

“Des Moines is leading the Midwest in innovation and best practices in recycling,” says Matt Delnick, CEO of Greenstar North America. “Today’s grand opening demonstrates the commitment that has been made to increasing recycling rates—which is the right choice—preserving natural resources and reducing carbon emissions.”

Greenstar has been providing recycling services in Des Moines since 1979. Participants in the Des Moines metro area have responded favorably to the convenience of the single-stream recycling program, with the volume of recyclables collected growing 30 percent since the program was launched. 

Before the new single-stream equipment was in place, Greenstar was hand sorting materials at a rate of 2 to 3 tons per hour. With the new $4 million mega-sorter, Greenstar says it can process 15 tons of recyclables per hour and has hired 21 new employees at its expanded facility. 

The recycling participation rate in the Des Moines is 56 percent, with higher rates in the suburbs of Urbandale (66 percent) and Grimes (77 percent). 

“Greenstar is committed to working with our city and commercial partners to invest in technology that brings recycling solutions and reduces program costs,” says Kelley McReynolds, general manager of Greenstar’s Des Moines MRF. “We look forward to continued growth and progress in recycling here in Des Moines.”

Greenstar entered the U.S. market in 2007 and handles 2 million tons per year of recyclables through a network of 16 processing facilities. The company was formed by Dublin-based NTR plc, an international renewable energy group. Founded in 1978, NTR has evolved from being a developer and operator of infrastructure in Ireland to an international developer and operator of renewable energy (wind, solar and ethanol) and sustainable waste management businesses in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland. The group employs more than 4,100 people.