Either as standalone projects or as part of wide-ranging long-term strategic planning initiatives, GBB has the resources and expertise to help clients plan, develop, procure, and implement materials recovery facilities (MRF) or assist owners and operators in improving efficiencies and finding innovative ways to produce cleaner bales of recycled fibers on a limited budget.

With ever-increasing pressure from regulatory landscapes and commodity markets impacted by international pressures, GBB provides a suite of MRF-related services customized to meet clients’ needs, challenges, and budgets, which includes:

New MRF Design or Major Upgrades:

• Feasibility studies
• Development, procurement, and contracting
• Development of conceptual plans and costs
• Operational cost analysis/modeling
• Financial projections
• Construction monitoring and acceptance testing
• Procurements of operation and management services

Evaluation of Existing MRF System:

• Technology reviews
• Maintenance and safety reviews and recommendations
• Throughput, operations, staffing, and equipment review
• Capacity reviews and expansion alternatives
• Development of strategies to improve efficiency and material recovery

[ Download Capability Statement for Materials Recovery Facilities Systems and Equipment Projects ]

Selected Project Descriptions

One Bin for All Project Consulting
City of Houston and Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), Texas

Review of Mixed Waste Processing Facilities (MWPFs) and Sizing Alternatives Evaluation
City of Chicago, Illinois

Commercial Materials Recovery Facility Procurement
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Residential Mixed Paper Processing Facility
Office Paper Systems, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland

Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) Evaluation and Feasibility Study
Waukesha County, Wisconsin

Related GBB Reports:

GBB reports, published by the American Chemistry Council, on mixed waste processing facilities:

• The Evolution of Mixed Waste Processing Facilities – 1970-Today
  June 2015
• The Evolution of Mixed Waste Processing Facilities – Technology and Equipment Guide
  May 2016

Related GBB Presentations:

The Role of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in the Circular Economy
Steven Schilling, P.E., GBB Senior Project Manager
Illinois Circularity Conference – October 2025

Maximizing the Potential of Data in Material Recovery Facilities
Steven Schilling, P.E., GBB Senior Project Manager
Wisconsin Integrated Resource Management Conference  – February 2025

MRF Capabilities and Circular Economy Off-Ramps
Brad Kelley, BSME, GBB Senior Project Engineer
REMADE Circular Economy Tech Summit & Conference – April 2022

From Deciding What to Build to Lessons Learned: A Mixed Waste Processing Case Study in Utah
Brad Kelley, BSME, GBB Senior Project Engineer
SWANA Region 6 Conference – August 2021

State of Technology for MSW Processing: Smart Technologies for Processing MSW
Brad Kelley, BSME, GBB Senior Project Engineer
Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) Advancing the Bioeconomy: From Waste to Conversion-Ready Feedstocks Workshop – February 2020

IoT (Internet of Things) and Predictive vs. Preventive Maintenance

Brad Kelley, BSME, GBB Senior Project Engineer
Virginia Recycling Association Conference – May 2019

Contamination and the Markets: Smart Technologies for Contamination Management
Brad Kelley, BSME, GBB Senior Project Engineer
Maryland Recycling Network / SWANA Mid-Atlantic Conference – June 2018

To Mix or Not to Mix? 
Lori Scozzafava, GBB Vice President, Operations Officer
WasteExpo – May 2017

Today and Tomorrow: Mixed Waste Processing at Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District 
Nathan Rich, WIWMD Executive Director, and Matt Clark, P.E., GBB Vice President
North American Waste-to-Energy Conference – April 2017

The Future of Processing and Collecting
Harvey Gershman, GBB President
Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference – October 2016

Processing Equipment and Recovery, from MRFs to MWPFs
Brad Kelley, BSME, GBB Senior Project Engineer
Waste360 Recycling Summit – September 2016

Single Stream Recycling… Local Government Perspective
Harvey Gershman, GBB President
Resource Recycling Conference – September 2016

Tackling Contamination
Harvey Gershman, GBB President
Resource Recycling Conference – September 2015

Leading Edge Techniques and Technology in Recycling
Harvey Gershman, GBB President
Maryland Recycling Network Webinar – December 2012

Related GBB Articles:

MRF Technology – Uncovering Opportunities with Waste Material Assessments
Steven Schilling, P.E., GBB Senior Project Manager and Ricky Phillips, GBB Project Manager
Waste Today – May 2025

Data, Data, Everywhere
Steven Schilling, P.E., GBB Senior Project Manager
Waste Today – September 2024

Recycling Isn’t Broken, But It Does Need to Change
Brad Kelley, BSME, GBB Senior Project Engineer
Waste Today – October 2022

Conversion Technologies and the Needs of Front-end Processing Systems
Brad Kelley, BSME, GBB Senior Project Engineer
Waste Today – May/June 2020

What’s New in Waste Conversion Technology
Steve Simmons, GBB President
Waste Today – August 2019

Big Data and the Waste Industry
Brad Kelley, GBB Senior Project Engineer
Waste Today – August 2019

MWP: Do You Doggie-Paddle to It or Swim Free Style?
Bob Brickner, GBB Executive Vice President
MSW Management Magazine – November 2015

Let’s Get Honest … MWP Has a Place in the Big Pond with All the Alligators!
Bob Brickner, GBB Executive Vice President, and Brad Kelley, BSME, GBB Senior Project Engineer
MSW Management Magazine – September 2015

Making the Most Out of Our Mixed Waste
Harvey Gershman, GBB President
Renewable Energy from Waste – July 2015

Are MWPFs just dirty MRFs?
Harvey Gershman, GBB President
Renewable Energy from Waste – November 2014