Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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E Executive Summary
Located in the historic Garden of Eden community in Fort Worth, Texas, Republic Services’
North Texas Recycling Complex handles single-stream materials collected from more than
350,000 households in communities around the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including Tarrant,
Dallas, Collin, Denton, Parker and the surrounding counties. The MRF also processes
single-stream recyclables from commercial entities in the area.
Republic Services’ state-of-the-art MRF is LEED-certified and features a sorting system
designed and built with The CP Group. The system, which had its grand opening in Sep-
tember 2013, provides maximum flexibility to process a high volume of both residential
and commercial loads and is capable of processing at least 35 tons per hour of residential
single stream material, and 20 tons per hour of commercial and industrial recyclable
material. The plant was designed to recover 95% of the targeted recyclable materials
going through the sorting system, and it is achieving that goal.
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Design of the Recycling System
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1 Design of the Recycling System
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex, a brand-new, 90,000-square-foot facility, handles
single-stream collected materials from residential and commercial entities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Owned and operated by Republic Services, the MRF is capable of processing 35 tons per hour, or more
than 140,000 tons of material every year.
North Texas Recycling Complex was designed to process recyclable material including plastics marked 1 through
7, paper products, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and other materials. The material mix is approximately 60 percent
fiber and 30 percent containers, by weight. The system was custom-engineered, manufactured and installed by
the CP Group, based out of San Diego, California. Republic Services and CP worked together closely on this project
to transform this recycling system from concept to reality.
From its inception, this system was designed to be a future dual line system. As more capacity is required,
additional presort and disc screening can be added with minimal restructuring of the existing equipment, reducing
future system downtime and cost.
The flexibility and design innovation of this unique system include the following features and components:
The plant is equipped with two balers at opposite ends of the storage silos (for metal cans and plastic bottles) and bunkers (for paper). A reversing transfer conveyor fed by the can and bottle storage silos runs between the two baler feed conveyors, allowing the operator to bale cans and bottles with either baler. Reversible floor conveyors and doors at each end of the paper storage bunkers allow cardboard and paper to empty onto either baler feed conveyor.
A large screw auger on top of each storage silo continuously rotates, leveling the material as it drops into the silo. Shuttle conveyors above the paper storage bunkers serve the same function. This leveling action allows the silos and bunkers to be filled completely, greatly increasing plant storage capacity within the available silo/bunker volume. Photo eyes signal to the operator when each storage silo or bunker is 80% and 100% full and the status of silo/bunker doors.
The system includes three new CIRRUS™ optical sorting units. The first two Cirrus units recover HDPE and PETE plastics from the materials passing through them. The third CIRRUS™ unit, added in partnership with the Carton Council, recovers remaining #3-7 mixed plastics, cartons and aseptic containers, and performs a quality control check on the PETE sorted by the second unit for automated contamination removal. Steel and aluminum are removed before the plastics are conveyed to the optical sorters, thinning the material flow through them to allow greater sorting accuracy and recovery of the targeted plastics.
The facility houses a permanent Drum Magnet for steel can and other ferrous material recovery, vs. the “industry norm” suspended cross-belt electromagnet in most single stream plants. The Drum Magnet has lower maintenance requirements, is more reliable and uses less power than a cross-belt electromagnet.
There are multiple Film Vacuum hoods for collecting and transferring plastic film hand picked off the sorting
stations. The Film Vac is unique because it uses an internal ‘jetcone’ hood designed to re-use its own air as a
closed loop operation to minimize operational noise levels. The Film Vacuum transfers material to the patent-
pending Screw Compactor, a large auger that presses the plastic film into long tubes similar to the way a
sausage maker stuff sausages. These long tubes allow plastic film to be stored and handled much more
efficiently, with less mess, than loose collection and storage.
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Design of the Recycling System
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1 Design of the Recycling System
STEP-BY-STEP LOOK AT EQUIPMENT USED AT THE FACILITY
As the mixed material arrives at the facility it is dumped from the trucks onto the tipping floor. From there,
state-of-the-art equipment conveys, processes, sorts, separates and bales the material so it can be resold and
given a new life in new products.
1. Drum Feeder: Material begins its journey through the facility by being loaded into a metering bin that consist
of a feed conveyor and drum feeder to load the system with material. The drum feeder features a heavy-duty
rotating drum with fixed paddles to tear open bags and provides a consistent flow of material to the system to
maximize efficiency and throughput.
The material then moves to the pre-sort conveyor, where large pieces of rigid plastics, metals and trash are pulled
out of the material stream to protect the system from damage and maximize the efficiency of processing and
sorting equipment.
2. Film Vac: Plastic films, such as grocery bags, are hand-picked and transported away by the Film Vacuum System
to the patent-pending Film Screw Compactor.
3. Film Screw Compactor: The Film Screw Compactor extrudes the plastic film into long tubes of plastic film, similar
to a sausage maker. The pre-compressed tubes of film can then be stored and baled at a later point in time.
4. OCC Disc Screen: Mechanical sorting plays an important role in the facility, starting with a series of patented
disc screens to separate material by size and shape. The first disc screen in the process is the OCC Screen, which
removes cardboard from the rest of the stream. The OCC Screen uses large serrated offset steel discs that rotate
and propel the cardboard forward. The elliptical disc pattern provides additional lateral agitation to liberate other
1. Drum Feeder
2. Film Vac
3. Film Screw Compactor
4. OCC Disc Screen
5. Glass Breaker Disc Screen (underneath OCC Disc Screen)
6. Zigzag
7. CP NEWScreen™ (2)
8. CPScreen
9. Drum Magnetic
10. Eddy Current Separator
11. CIRRUS Optical Sorters (3)
12. Two-Ram and Single-Ram Baler
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Design of the Recycling System
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1 Design of the Recycling System
material, leaving the OCC end-product well sorted and highly marketable. All other materials such as smaller fiber
and containers fall through the openings and go on to the next screening step.
5. Glass Breaker Disc Screen: The second disc screening process removes all glass and small pieces of material,
known as “fines”. The Glass Breaker Disc Screen uses durable cast chromium elliptical discs that don’t wear out.
These heavy duty spinning discs break all glass and separate it from fiber and containers at maximum efficiency,
without losing any aluminum or other valuable commodities.
6. Zigzag Air Separator: The broken and screened out glass has one more processing step to go through before
becoming a saleable product. The Zigzag Air Separator is a fully adjustable cascade cleaning solution designed to
efficiently remove unwanted lightweight materials, such as small shreds of paper and plastics out of the heavier
glass. Differences in particle shape and weight allow the lighter material to be lifted up by an air stream and
transported off, leaving the heavier material, such as glass, to fall to the bottom, ensuring minimal loss of valuable
recyclable material.
7. CP NEWScreen: After the fines and glass are removed from the main stream, the remaining material, mainly
containers and fiber, are conveyed to the next disc screening process in the system: There are two NEWScreens
in this system due to the high throughput requirements. They are engineered to effectively separate larger fiber
from mixed paper and containers. The patented finger-disc technology pulls the large fiber over the top and
bounces containers and small fiber back off its bottom end.
8. CPScreen™: While the large fiber makes its way over to the inspection stations, the small fiber and containers
continue along to the CPScreen™, where mixed paper is sorted from containers. The long-lasting rubber cam-style
discs of the CPScreen™ feature small screen openings and are specially engineered to minimize loss of fiber to the
containers, recovering even the smallest pieces of paper.
To ensure that the containers are free of any small contaminants, they pass through one additional sorting step,
the Air Knife Separator. The Air Knife Separator eliminates light materials from the material stream, such as
shredded paper and foil.
Now that all of the paper has been captured and small debris have been eliminated, all that is left in the material
stream are mixed containers, such as single serve water bottles, tin and aluminum cans, milk jugs, detergent
bottles and various other types of plastics.
9. Drum Magnet: At this point it is time to separate the steel cans from the rest of the containers. The steel comes
into close contact with the Drum Magnet, a large rotating drum that magnetically attracts the steel to it, and pulls
it over the top. The rest of the material falls onto a conveyor that takes the remaining material to the Eddy Current
Separator.
10. Eddy Current Separator: As aluminum cans or other non-ferrous metals pass over the head pulley of the Eddy
Current Separator, an alternating electro-magnetic field creates eddy currents that repel the aluminum cans away
from the plastics, generating a clean aluminum fraction.
At this point in the process, cardboard, mixed paper, glass, aluminum, steel and small residue have been removed
and all that’s left are mixed plastics.
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Design of the Recycling System
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1 Design of the Recycling System
11. CIRRUS Optical Sorters: The mixed plastics now travel to the most high-tech and fastest separation machines
in the plant: the 3 MSS CIRRUS optical sorters. These automated sorting units use advanced high-resolution, Near-
Infrared and color sensors for the ultimate separation performance for plastics. Advanced identification
algorithms and precise air jets separate the plastic by type and by color. The first CIRRUS unit ejects all HDPE, the
milk jugs and detergent bottles. The second CIRRUS sorts out all PET, the soda and water bottles. And finally, the
third CIRRUS automatically separates the beverage cartons as well as any mixed plastics. All of the plastics are
now separated by type and color.
12. Silos and Balers: After each material is separated throughout the process, they are conveyed to huge bunkers
where they are stored until baling. These bunkers have specially designed electronic eyes to tell the operator
when they are full and ready for baling. A large rotating screw augur across the top of the bunker evens material
out in the bunker to maximize storage space. When a bunker is full and a material is ready for baling, the operator
receives a signal, the respective bunker door is opened and the material falls onto the baler feed conveyor which
conveys it to the either the IPS Two-Ram baler or the Single-Ram baler for baling.
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Regulatory Compliance
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2 Regulatory Compliance
Republic strongly supports and advocates the five R’s of Sustainability: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,
Renew and Responsibility.
The five R’s of Sustainability are not mere slogans, but rather they reflect
Republic’s values and the continued commitment to sustainability and to
the communities it serves. Republic understands that the sustainability of
the environment depends on how well it protects and preserves natural
resources and educates current and future generations on environmental
compliance. In fact, Republic’s sustainability program centers on the
theme of “Protecting Today’s Environment for a Better Tomorrow.” This
message is important to the quality of life and regional prosperity in the
communities it serves and why compliance is so important.
Permit and Compliance
The North Texas Recycling Complex’s Municipal Solid Waste Permit
(Permit No. 2275) allows for Material Recovery, Transfer Station, and
Processing Facility operations. The facility is permitted to operate 24 hours
per day and 7 days per week. The facility is regulated by the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality and has been issued a Texas
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System multi-sector storm water general
permit (Permit No. TXR05Z605). Inspections performed by the Commission
have never resulted in a notice of violation.
Environmental Stewardship
Evidence of this commitment to the environment and neighboring
communities can be seen throughout the facility and recycling system. This
focus on environmental stewardship throughout the planning process for
the North Texas Recycling Complex has resulted in numerous positive
outcomes for the surrounding cities including the achievement of LEED
Certification, the investment in energy-efficient equipment, and planting
an “urban forest” around the perimeter of the property.
Developing this MRF also reduces the local environmental impact of
recycling by enhancing the area’s recycling infrastructure. This means
collection and transportation trucks are driving fewer miles to facilitate
recycling, thus producing fewer emissions, causing less wear and tear on
roadways and having less of an impact on traffic. The communities
currently sending materials for processing at the North Texas Recycling
Complex are listed in the sidebar.
Duncanville • Star Harbor •
Corsicana • Gun Barrel City
•Dawson • Angus • Tool •
Blooming Grove • Mabank
•Wortham • Travis Ranch
•Malakoff • Lancaster • Rockwall
• Kerens • Cumby • Sunnyvale •
Caney City • Seagoville • Highland
Park • Desosto • Log Cabin •
Barry •Coolidge • Emhouse • Rice
•Ennis • Keene • Mesquite
•Mount Calm • Palmer • Mexia •
Mertens • Keene • West •
Malone • Whitney • Midlothian •
Mount Calm • Hillsboro • Bynam
• Parker • Hewitt • Alvarado •
Plano • Garland • The Colony •
Richardson • Van Alstyne • Oak
Point • Fairview • Aledo • Itasca
• St Paul • Sachse • Westlake •
Annnetta • Hudson Oaks •
Westover Hills • Benbrook •
Pelican Bay • Grapevine • Copper
Canyon • Sanctuary • The Resort
• Richland Hills • Roanoke •
Euless • Hurst • Newark • Argyle
• Haslet • Bedford • Blue Mound
• Trophy Club • North Richland
Hills • Pantego • Mansfield •
Arlington • Grand Prairie •
Southlake • Dalworthington
Gardens
COMMUNITIES SERVED
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Planning
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3 Planning
The North Texas Recycling Complex planning process was multifaceted, addressing the current need for
recycling in Dallas-Fort Worth, while keeping an eye on the rapidly expanding population growth and
subsequent recycling infrastructure demand that will be placed on this metropolitan area.
Even as the demand for recycling infrastructure has grown due to effective municipal recycling education
programs and the increased participation among area residents and businesses, Republic Services knows that this
is just the tip of the iceberg. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2012 numbers, the Dallas-Fort Worth
metropolitan area recorded the largest population increase in the nation, adding more than 130,000 people.
This growth exceeds that all other metropolitan areas including Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C.,
Atlanta, Phoenix, Miami, San Francisco, and Seattle.
In anticipation of this continued growth, and in support of the municipalities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,
Republic emphasized the need for flexibility and future expansion throughout the planning process. The unique
system designed by Republic and The CP Group reflects the innovative and forward-thinking approach that was
necessary to develop a fully functional MRF that can, with little downtime or construction, accommodate a second
line to meet the ongoing, growing need for the processing of both residential and commercial materials in the
Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Currently, the system is designed to support both residential and commercial single stream processing on a single
line. Residential single stream is processed during the first shift, and commercial single stream loads are processed
during the second shift. The planning process addressed the expected need for additional capacity and a dual line
system and the facility was designed to accommodate a second sort line.
There are several practical aspects of the forward thinking used throughout the planning process. For example,
the system is designed with extra space besides the screens and infeed conveyor for the future placement of a
dual line, which will increase the system’s capacity from 35 tons per hour to 55 tons per hour. In addition, the
CIRRUS Optical Separator is oversized to
accommodate the future increase.
The proactive planning not only resulted
in a system that meets processing needs
by providing the flexibility necessary to
effectively process residential and
commercial single stream tonnage on a
single line with a focus on safety,
efficiency, limited downtime and
minimized environmental impacts - it also
provides a launching pad for expansion as
the needs of the surrounding
municipalities continue to grow. CIRRUS Optical Separator
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Performance, Economics & Cost Effectiveness
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4 Performance, Economics & Cost Effectiveness
The North Texas Recycling Complex system has proven capable of operating at its anticipated
production rate of 35 tons per hour for residential materials and 20 tons per hour for commercial
materials. The plant was designed to recover 95% of the targeted recyclable materials going through
the sorting system, and it is achieving that goal.
In addition to the numerous performance capabilities and operational goals achieved by the system, the versatility
of the line and ability to accommodate future expansion while minimizing the corresponding cost and downtime
was a critical deliverable realized as a result of the planning, construction and operation of the North Texas
Recycling Complex facility. The system has been performance-tested by a third party expert and has met and
exceeded the high Republic Services standards.
Additionally, the system has achieved economic milestones:
The initial investment in the facility was as planned and construction was completed within budget.
The facility reached profitability sooner than expected.
While these are welcome achievements, the anticipated payoff in forward thinking design will be even stronger.
Republic Services is committed to providing the recycling infrastructure needed to support the growing demand
for recycling services among the municipalities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The time and resources invested in
this project will continue to pay off as the facility is able to quickly and cost-effectively adapt to meet these
expanding needs. Through this system, North Texas Recycling Complex is poised and ready to offer the
surrounding cities and communities the capacity and diversion results they seek.
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Use of Equipment/Systems and Technologies
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5 Use of Equipment/Systems and Technologies
Republic Services partnered with CP Group to design, manufacture and install the processing system at
North Texas Recycling Complex, with a focus on versatility, functionality, safety and the environment.
The following describes the operational features to manage the
residential and commercial single-stream materials processed at
the North Texas Recycling Complex:
Drum Feeder: The drum is configured with bolt-on cast-
chromium alloy paddles, which helps break and fluff up the
material without shredding or tearing and is very effective for
commercial material, bagged material and broken bales. This
horizontal drum feeder discharges onto a separate incline
conveyor which feeds onto the pre-sort line.
Impact Air Film Vacuum: The film vacuum system offers the
ultimate flexible solution for collecting and conveying handpicked
material during the manual sorting process. The system consists
of a series of specially designed material collection hoods, which
are typically mounted in the ceiling of the sorting cabin, above the
waste belts. The unique internal ‘Jetcone’ hood design minimizes
operational noise levels and the amount of air withdrawn from the sorting cabin, by utilizing a closed loop system.
Conveying air used to transport the material is recycled back through a return air system to significantly reduce
the cabin make up air requirements.
Impact Air Film Screw Compactor: The screw compactor’s main function is to
compress waste materials collected by the filmvac system into manageable
plastic bags. The unit comprises a single screw auger within trough, which
compacts the material into a circular outlet spigot. The unit achieves its
compaction by means of combination of the length of the outlet spigot and the
rubber tension clamping ring, which retains the expanding spool of plastic waste
bag to provide a variable length “Sausage-Like” bale for ease of handling. During
operation, as material is fed into the unit, the rubber clamping ring allows the
bag or tube to be extruded whilst maintaining compaction density.
Impact Air Dust Control System: Processing material in a MRF generates dust
which can create an unpleasant working environment for employees,
housekeeping issues and significant fire risks as airborne dust particles that come to rest on plant equipment. The
air control system used at North Texas Recycling Complex provides a highly effective dust capturing at the source,
at conveyor discharge and transfer points.
Impact Air Film Vacuum
Safety Fence
Impact Air Film Screw Compactor
Safety Fence
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Use of Equipment/Systems and Technologies
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5 Use of Equipment/Systems and Technologies
CP OCC Disc Screen: The CP OCC Disc Screen automatically separates large cardboard from other fibers, containers
and debris. It consists of durable 1/2” thick steel discs, with an offset elliptical pattern that provides lateral
agitation to remove contaminates, containers, and mixed paper, leaving the OCC end-product highly marketable.
Glass Breaker Disc Screen: The Glass Breaker Screen increases system throughput, maximizes glass breakage, and
improves end-product marketability by providing an industry-proven way to simplify glass processing. Non-wear
steel alloy elliptical discs provide maximum glass breakage while decreasing jams and downtime. Heavy-duty and
low-maintenance, this multi-level screen is field-proven to break and separate broken glass and fines from fiber
and containers at optimum efficiency, without losing any aluminum.
Zigzag Air Separator: The Zigzag material separation system is a fully adjustable cascade cleaning solution suitable
for most recycling facilities. It is designed to efficiently remove unwanted lightweight material (ideally 0-50mm in
size) from the higher density materials. Differences in particle shape and density cause the lighter material to be
lifted by the air stream, leaving the heavier density material to discharge from the bottom under the action of
gravity, providing excellent rates of separation. Variable air velocities and material feed rates ensure minimal loss
of valuable recyclable material providing maximum flexibility and highly efficient cleaning of the material. Ideal
for shredded or granulated plastics, rubber, WEEE material, C&D waste, and plasterboard.
CP NEWScreen™: The CP NEWScreen™ provides efficient separation of paper from containers, and automatically
separates large fiber from mixed paper, containers, dirt, and debris. Large flat fiber materials are sent upstream
while various types of rigid containers such as cartons, bottles, cans and small fiber fall out of the stream to be
processed on additional screens. The patented long-lasting finger disc technology ensures efficient separation and
higher throughput paired with the lowest maintenance in the industry.
CP NEWScreen™
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Use of Equipment/Systems and Technologies
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5 Use of Equipment/Systems and Technologies
Air Knife Separator: The Air Knife system’s main function is to remove low value ‘light’ fractions, such as un-
pickable paper, plastic and foil, from the material stream. The input air creates a high velocity air stream through
which the falling material has to travel. The lighter material fractions are blown or separated from the falling
material and are captured by the extraction hood and conveyed away. The heavier material is unaffected by the
incoming air stream and falls through the air stream onto the conveyor below.
CPScreen™: The CPScreen™ automatically separates small fibers from containers, and 2D from 3D material. Small
screen openings decrease loss of fiber to container line, recovering even the smallest pieces of fiber. It’s long-
lasting, patented rubber cam-style
discs are specially engineered to
have consistent spacing at all points
at all times to make discs highly
resistant to both jamming and
wrapping. Cam discs also have low
amplitude that avoids aggressive
separation to keep fiber clean of
small containers and other
contaminates. The screen ensures
that material is sized properly for the
most efficient sort possible.
Magnetic Drum Separator: Republic has installed Magnetic Drum Separator, a permanent self-cleaning separator
designed for heavy-duty, high-volume ferrous recovery. It is
a heavy duty drum magnet for high volume ferrous
separation and recovery. It has a tough and rugged design
that performs even under the harshest conditions. This large,
powerful magnetic drum has a non-magnetic exterior shell
that is driven around a fixed magnet center. Ferrous metals
are drawn out of the material stream by the powerful
magnetic center and held against the revolving shell; the
steel is released when it reaches a discharge point beyond
the magnetic field. The magnet placement is customizable
and can be fed in any position; the drum can drop the ferrous
material off over the drum, under the drum, or down from the drum if fed from the top.
Eddy Current Separator: Aluminum is passed over the rotor which contains a rotating series of powerful rare
earth magnets causing an Eddy Current Separator reaction to the aluminum. The eddy current separator ejects
the aluminum with the same force as a magnet pulls steel. As aluminum cans or other non-ferrous metals pass
over the drum, the alternating magnetic field creates eddy currents that repel the material away from the
CPScreen™
Magnetic Drum Separator
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Use of Equipment/Systems and Technologies
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5 Use of Equipment/Systems and Technologies
conveyor. While other materials drop off at the end of the conveyor, the non-ferrous metals are propelled over
a splitter for separation.
CIRRUS™: The CIRRUS™ combines high-resolution near-infrared, color, and metal sorting. It sorts a wide variety
of mixed materials, using advanced digital signal processing and software algorithms. The detection in mid-air
provides higher signal levels for transparent items (PET color sorting) and allows sorting of black items.
IPS TR 1388BT 200 Two-Ram Baler: This system uses a High Efficiency Two-Ram Baler. Utilizing a pre-compression
lid, this baler has a high density and high capacity for baling. The pre-compression lid also means that no baler
operator is required, and allows for up to twice the thru-put on materials such as PET, HDPE, aluminum, and steel
cans. This multi-material baler produces export bales, allowing North Texas Recycling Complex to take full
advantage of the international markets.
Advanced MRF Office Interface System: A SCADA system oversees the operation at the North Texas Recycling
Complex and help the plant manager to diagnose and pinpoint areas where modifications need to be done so the
system can reach maximum efficiency. The SCADA system includes touch screen controls, operational statistics, a
wireless touchscreen, and a video monitoring system.
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Worker Health & Safety
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6 Worker Health & Safety
Safety is Republic’s highest priority and therefore, a strict policy of safety protocols has been created
with supporting infrastructure, where employees are trained to think, choose, and work within a
training framework designed for safety.
Safety is Republic’s portal for the achievement of exceptional customer experience, and is viewed as the
responsibility of all Republic employees. Every step is taken to ensure safety in its administrative offices, in its
operations yards, on its collection routes, and at its transfer/recycling
facilities. Republic’s excellent safety record is achieved by the clear system
of safety checks and balances it employs, its safety policies and procedures,
and sound decision-making used when hiring, combined with the active
retention of the very best employees.
Safety Training
Employees are trained on the first day of employment on key safety topics
(listed in sidebar). Employees then receive refresher training on these
topics during monthly safety meetings.
Employees also participate in Republic Services’ Focus 6 program which
trains employees on the skills to avoid the six most serious types of losses
in the industry.
Safety Design Elements
Numerous design elements were included in the system to facilitate and
enhance operational safety. The system uses Miller Temporary Anchorage
Connectors, which wrap around l-beams and other structures for
supporting workers. Crossbars above the rotors are dimensioned to hold
one person each and provide valid anchor points for lanyards.
All disc drives on each screen have brake motors with locking hand release
levers. Brakes are activated when the power goes off, locking rotors. Rotors
cannot turn when maintenance personnel is walking or standing on them.
The system is also designed to minimize the walkable area between work
stations. Because of this attention to accessibility, maintenance issues can
be spotted and addressed quickly with minimal risk. In addition, the
employee entrance to the facility is on the second floor. This design feature
significantly reduces MRF employee presence on ground level, where
vehicles and equipment are operated.
Personal Protective
Equipment
Lock Out Tag Out
Confined Space
Hazardous
Communications
Blood Borne
Pathogens
Emergency
Evacuation
Hearing
Conservation
Fire Extinguishers
Heat Stress
Electrical Safety
Fall Protection
Machine Guarding
Drug & Alcohol
Awareness
SAFETY TRAINING TOPICS
Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex 2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry
Worker Health & Safety
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6 Worker Health & Safety
A safety fence surrounds the
ground level of the plant and is
locked during operation. Access to
the ground floor beneath the
sorting equipment is limited to
authorized employees with keys
during operation, which
significantly reduces associated
safety hazards.
The facility also features trapped key interlocking, which utilizes locks and keys for sequential control of
equipment and machinery to ensure safe operation. Trapped key interlocks are used to ensure safe access to
potentially live equipment in the plant. A safe sequence of operations is enabled through transfer of keys that are
either trapped or released in a predetermined order. For example, a key is used to isolate a power source (circuit
breaker or supply valve), this key is then released
and can then be used to gain access through a gate
or door to a high risk area by inserting it into an
access lock. The key will then remain trapped until
the gate or door is closed, ensuring that the gate or
door cannot be closed and the initial key released
until this personnel or safety key is returned. Access
doors contain a keylock system. The power is shut
off when the access doors are opened. With the
double key system, the machine cannot be started
while the doors are unlocked.
The area behind the access doors of the CPScreen and NEWScreen gets closed by a fold-down service platform,
from where the rotors are accessible. The floor is moved by hydraulic cylinders, and can only be unfolded when
the screen is in its lowest position. This system
eliminates the risk of falling during maintenance
and cleaning, and in so doing, provides built-in fall
protection so that harnesses are not required.
In addition to implementing Republic Services’
extensive safety programs and integrating
numerous safety elements in the design of the
system and equipment selection, the North Texas
Recycling Complex team contracted Susan Eppes,
President of EST Solutions, to ensure compliance with OSHA regulations and overall safety. Following a
comprehensive review of the site plan and programs, recommendations were reviewed and incorporated into the
safety program.
Keylock System
Fold-Down Service Platform
Safety Fence
2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex
Public Acceptance, Appearance & Aesthetics
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7 Public Acceptance, Appearance & Aesthetics
Republic Services is a proud partner of the Garden of Eden neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas. Earning
community support during the permitting and approval process was a pivotal component of the
planning process. Republic was honored to have the Garden of Eden Neighborhood Association’s vocal
endorsement of the North Texas Recycling Complex throughout the process.
Garden of Eden is a historically Black community in Fort Worth, Texas, that was settled by freed slaves from
Kentucky and Tennessee around 1860. There were 54 households along the Trinity River. Today, the community’s
population includes 20 descendants of the original settlers. The Garden of Eden had fallen on hard times until the
Neighborhood Association was developed in 2004. Since then the area has been designated a historic
neighborhood. Garden of Eden received the 2004 Neighborhood of the Year Award.
As a partner of the Garden of Eden community, Republic Services
makes being a good neighbor a daily priority. Community
members were engaged in the planning process and the
Neighborhood Association spoke in support of the project at
Planning Commission and City Council meetings. The Association
members joined civic leaders from cities throughout the
Metroplex for the Grand Opening Celebration.
A Learning Center was included in the complex to aid in
the safe and effective offering of tours and educational
presentations. Surrounding municipalities benefit from
the opportunity to bring community leaders, municipal
staff, and all types of groups to tour the facility. The
Learning Center can accommodate groups of up to 70
and offers 180⁰ views of the sortline.
Community beautification was carefully considered throughout the “urban
forestry” component. Three dozen trees were added to the property along with
their environmental and aesthetic benefits.
To enhance the look of the neighborhood, the facility is well-maintained, with an
updated façade. In addition, Republic Services achieved LEED Certification for the
North Texas Recycling Complex and the facility was built with numerous
sustainable features. The Complex is bright and clean, with energy-saving lighting
systems such as the use of outdoor LEDs, motion sensors, daylight sensors. In
addition, heat pumps are used for heating and cooling and they are managed with programmable thermostats.
The facility is also a welcomed source of local employment, bringing new, green jobs to residents in the
surrounding cities. The North Texas Recycling Complex runs two shifts, five days a week, employing 75 people,
including sorters, equipment operators, scale attendants, drivers and administrative and supervisory staff.
Urban Forestry Site Diagram
Community Guests at Grand Opening
State and Local Leaders at the Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting
2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex
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Please find an article regarding the North Texas Recycling Complex from Recycling Today.
2014 Excellence Recycling Systems Award Entry Republic Services’ North Texas Recycling Complex
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The poster shown above is on display in the Learning Center at the North Texas Recycling Complex and
used during tours while visitors observe operations from their panoramic view of the facility.
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