Eureka Recycling Receives Gold for MRF Glass Certification
Glass Recycling Coalition awards gold certification to Minneapolis material recovery facility utilizing additional glass sorting and cleaning equipment.
ANN ARBOR, MI (May 23, 2024) — The Glass Recycling Coalition (GRC) announced Eureka Recycling as the recipient of a gold-level certification for its material recovery facility (MRF) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The MRF qualified for gold status due to its glass sortation and cleaning equipment providing high-quality recycled glass to processors and manufacturers.
Eureka Recycling MRF crew with the GRC Gold certification certificate.
Photo Source: Eureka Recycling
Eureka Recycling is a non-profit zero waste organization and mission-based recycler that advocates for waste reduction, reuse, and recycling policy changes, provides education and resources to the community and legislators, and runs recycling operations that serve the Twin Cities and surrounding communities. In addition, Eureka ensures that its 130 team members are paid a living wage and receive comprehensive benefits.
The single-stream MRF started operations in 2005. The facility sorts 400-450 tons of materials daily and utilizes glass cleaning equipment including a glass breaker, trommel screen for size separation, and vacuum system. The MRF sends its clean glass to a beneficiation facility, which further sorts and cleans the material to produce glass cullet used for manufacturing new bottles, fiberglass, and other products.
“At Eureka Recycling, we believe glass is a critical part of the recycling stream due to its inert nature and infinite recyclability. Each time glass is recycled, it provides significant benefits to the environment and to our community, especially here in Minnesota where we have a local glass producer and beneficiator. To support glass recycling, we've invested in equipment and continue to provide education aimed at maintaining the highest possible glass quality,” said Miriam Holsinger, co-president and COO of Eureka Recycling.
Eureka Recycling offers an educational video about the Minneapolis MRF showing how materials flow through a MRF and are prepared for sale to processors and manufacturers. Watch the video here: Eureka Recycling’s Material Recovery Facility
Trommel (rotating screen) sorting glass by size at Minneapolis MRF.
Photo Source: Eureka Recycling
The free certification program offered by the GRC recognizes MRFs with additional equipment and operational procedures to clean up glass in both single- and dual-stream systems, resulting in the production of higher-quality and marketable glass.
“Eureka Recycling’s achievement of the Glass Recycling Coalition’s gold certification is yet another example of its continued leadership in recycling,” says Scott Mouw, senior advisor of strategy and research, The Recycling Partnership. “Through its smart, innovative investments in glass cleaning equipment, Eureka demonstrates that keeping glass in curbside is highly feasible and can improve the circularity of the material. We congratulate Eureka on its certification and hope other MRFs follow their great example.”
The GRC MRF Glass Certification program launched in the fall of 2019. In 2022, the glass certification criteria were updated to prioritize end market consistency and more thorough glass cleaning prior to beneficiation. Eligible applications are judged on their current MRF infrastructure and the results of a glass purity test that is aligned with ISRIs Three-Mix Specification. An independent committee scores applications and awards MRFs with either gold, silver, or bronze certification. MRFs holding this certification will have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
GRC’s website currently hosts an interactive map showing MRFs, glass processors, and end markets across the country. GRC certified MRFs are noted on this map, along with public recognition of this certification.
Learn more about the Glass Recycling Coalition and apply for MRF Glass Certification at www.glassrecycles.org.
About the GRC: The Glass Recycling Coalition, established in 2016, is a mission-centric, non-competitive U.S. coalition dedicated to fostering collaboration across the glass recycling chain. More than 40 member companies and organizations are dedicated to breaking down barriers to keep glass in the recycling stream, meet and grow end-market demand, and build awareness of the benefits of glass recycling. For more information, visit www.glassrecycles.org or contact info@glassrecycles.org.