WM upgrades Cocoa, Florida, recycling facility

WM has completed nearly $18 million in automation upgrades to its WM Recycling Brevard recycling facility in Cocoa, Florida.  

Photo courtesy of WM

This project is part of the Houston-based company's enterprisewide plans to invest more than $1.4 billion in new and upgraded recycling facilities across North America from 2022 to 2026, which is expected to add approximately 2.8 million tons of incremental annual processing capacity by the end of 2026.

The upgraded WM Recycling Brevard facility is expected to be able to process up to 125,000 tons of recyclables per year using intelligent sorting, where conveyors and optical sorters communicate with each other and with technicians to improve material quality, according to the company. The facility includes a final optical sort line that sends missed recyclables back for a second chance to be recovered and maximizes glass product quality using a glass cleanup system equipped with a vacuum system to remove fiber and other light debris.

“WM is pleased to make this significant investment to increase and improve recycling in Brevard County and the central Florida region,” says David Myhan, area vice president, WM Florida. “WM Recycling Brevard was upgraded with advanced technology that leverages artificial intelligence and automation with the potential to increase the amount of material WM can process on behalf of local communities and businesses.”

WM is investing in recycling in other Florida communities. The company announced the opening of its new $30 million recycling facility in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in early October and recently broke ground on an $80 million recycling facility in Pembroke Pines, Florida. WM also invested nearly $45 million in new construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facilities, including at WM Recycling Deerfield Beach, WM Recycling Oakes Road (Davie) and WM Recycling Miami.

WM’s planned investments seek to enable the company to increase its ability to manage more recyclables and potentially enhance access to recycling for its customers.