Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

Council staff sorting through recyclable rubbish at the Materials Recovery Centre.

Since 2015, Council has operated its own Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). A MRF (pronounced 'Merf' ) is a specialised machine that sorts, separates and prepares the recyclable materials from your yellow recycling bin, ready to be sent off and made into new products.

These recyclable materials are: 

  • Plastic bottles and containers
  • Glass bottles and containers
  • Paper and cardboard
  • Aluminium and steel cans

The material is sorted by a combination of labourers, screens and optical and magnetic sorters. The initial screening is done by labourers to remove items that are not recyclable, as well as potential hazards such as lithium batteries which can create fires and materials like hoses and ropes which get entangled in the screens. 

This is why it is so important to Recycle Right, as any non-recyclable waste becomes a contaminant and increases sorting costs and decreases the efficiency of the recycling process. 

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