Seattle/Spokane, Wash. – Nov. 15, 2022 – WM today announced plans to invest $56 million to advance recycling technology at three materials recovery facilities (MRFs) serving communities in Western, Eastern and Central Washington as well as North Idaho.
These projects are part of WM's previously announced plans to invest $800 million in recycling infrastructure through 2025, including automating existing facilities and developing new facilities. With the demand for recycled content products expected to rise, the investment will enable WM to capture more recycled materials and increase access to recycling for its customers.
"This investment confirms WM's longstanding commitment to helping Washington communities and businesses achieve bold sustainability goals."
- Jason Rose
"Sustainability is WM's core business," said WM Pacific Northwest Area Vice President Jason Rose. "This investment confirms WM's longstanding commitment to helping Washington communities and businesses achieve bold sustainability goals."
"WM is deploying cutting-edge technology to power efficient and high-tech recycling facilities," Rose said. "It's about reducing waste going to landfills and recovering more recyclables to be made into new products."
WM's $56 million planned and completed investment in Washington state will rebuild one MRF and upgrade two MRFs with state-of-the-art technology. The technology will reduce contamination and enable more recyclables to be processed to meet stringent quality standards, so manufacturers can make them into new products. The investment will also result in greater efficiency through technology and automation.
WM Cascade Recycling Center - Woodinville, Wash.
WM's Cascade Recycling Center processes recyclables collected from communities and businesses across Western Washington. WM plans to rebuild the facility with a new next generation design that is anticipated to include the most technically advanced optical sorting, ballistic separators, volumetric scanners, and other state-of-the-art technology. The rebuilt facility is expected to increase overall recycling capacity and the capture rate for the most environmentally significant materials - aluminum cans, paper and cardboard, and plastic bottles. The $34 million rebuild is expected to start at the end of November and is expected to be complete in summer 2023.
WM Spokane Materials and Recycling Technology (SMaRT) Center - Spokane, Wash.
The WM SMaRT Center processes recyclables collected from communities and businesses in Eastern and Central Washington and North Idaho. Upgrades totaling $15 million are planned to commence in 2023 and are expected to be complete by early 2024.
WM JMK Fibers - Tacoma, Wash.
WM's JMK Fibers processes recyclables collected from King County, Kitsap County, Pierce County and several northwest states. WM recently completed a $7 million upgrade in September, following a significant investment in 2019 to install additional paper screens, optical sorters and a second plastic sorter.
About WM
WM (WM.com) is North America's largest comprehensive waste management environmental solutions provider. Previously known as Waste Management and based in Houston, Texas, WM is driven by commitments to put people first and achieve success with integrity. The company, through its subsidiaries, provides collection, recycling and disposal services to millions of residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. With innovative infrastructure and capabilities in recycling, organics and renewable energy, WM provides environmental solutions to and collaborates with its customers in helping them achieve their sustainability goals. WM has the largest disposal network and collection fleet in North America, is the largest recycler of post-consumer materials and is the leader in beneficial reuse of landfill gas, with a growing network of renewable natural gas plants and the most gas-to-electricity plants in North America. WM's fleet includes nearly 11,000 natural gas trucks - the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet of its kind in North America - where more than half are fueled by renewable natural gas. To learn more about WM and the company's sustainability progress and solutions, visit sustainability.wm.com.
Forward-looking Statements
WM, from time to time, provides estimates, comments on expectations relating to future periods and makes statements of opinion, view or belief about current and future events. This press release contains such forward-looking statements, including all statements regarding the amount and timing of future investments in recycling technology and facilities, and all outcomes or benefits of such investments. You should view these statements with caution. They are based on the facts and circumstances as of the date the statements are made and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different. Please see Part I, Item lA of WM's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, available on the "Investors" page of www.wm.com, for information regarding such risks and uncertainties. WM assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of future events, circumstances or developments, or otherwise.