Albuquerque Mayor, Friedman Recycling Break Ground on MRF

Albuquerque’s Mayor Richard Berry, the city’s Solid Waste Management Department and the privately owned recycling company Friedman Recycling, based in Phoenix, have formally broken ground on a new Material Recycling Facility (MRF). The MRF is part of a public/private partnership between the City of Albuquerque and Friedman Recycling.

The MRF will be around 87,000 square feet and will include dry processing and a sorting facility. When fully operational, the MRF is expected to process around 120,000 tons of recyclables per year. The MRF is scheduled to be in full operation by March 2013. When operational, the MRF will allow the city’s Solid Waste Management Department to complete the distribution of recycling carts to city residents.

In a statement at the groundbreaking, Sept. 6, Mayor Berry said, “Today we break ground on a new facility that forever changes the way Albuquerque recycles. This state-of-the art facility brings with it 35 new jobs for the Albuquerque economy and will grow to 75 employees over time.”

The MRF will cost around $19 million, and Friedman Recycling will pay all the costs associated with building the new MRF, according to the city of Albuquerque.

“We are proud to have formed this partnership with a city that understands the importance of recycling,” says David Friedman, CEO of Friedman Recycling. “Friedman Recycling is happy to be a corporate citizen of the City of Albuquerque and looks forward to a strong partnership.”

When the new carts are distributed the city also will expand the types of materials that will be accepted.