Salt River Landfill MRF: A Municipal Success

Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

The Salt River Landfill, located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land in Scottsdale, wanted to add a recycling component to its existing solid waste handling operations. Landfill management, in conjunction with the Indian community leadership, had sought a recycling partner for several years, and had been through several rounds of RFP's. However, they were never able to successfully secure a partner who had the resources, know-how, and creativity to make a deal work.

When we entered the picture, Hudson Baylor had operated an MRF for the City of Phoenix for several years (and substantially improved its operations). We knew the market, and were already in the process of building a pipeline to supply recycled commodities to a network of paper, glass, and plastic users in their area.

Securing a sufficient volume was the key to making the deal work. To achieve the right amount of volume, Hudson Baylor negotiated supply arrangements with local municipalities that provided them with a base cost and potential upside, depending on commodity pricing. The base cost provides a level of certainty for taxpayers, helping to prevent tax increases related to the recycling program. And with the potential to gain revenue should commodity prices rise, this arrangement provides additional incentive for the municipality, and for taxpayers, to build its recycling programs.

Then we went a step farther. In conjunction with the MRF, Hudson Baylor houses a waste management education center. At the education center, schools and community organizations can learn about the entire waste management process, including both landfill operations and recycling processing. An interactive video and trained staff explain how solid waste and recycling operations work,