Republic Services, Inc. to Build Recycling Center in the St. Louis Area
RSG
Published on 05/08/2025 at 09:02, updated on 05/08/2025 at 10:20
Republic Services, Inc. announced plans to construct a recycling center in Bridgeton, Mo., to serve Greater St. Louis and the region. Republic Services expects the facility, anticipated to open in mid-2027, will have higher capacity and more advanced technology than current facilities in the area, helping to improve recycling rates.
The 105,000-square-foot recycling center is estimated to manage recyclables from approximately 3 million people throughout Greater St. Louis and surrounding communities. The high-capacity facility will process up to 45 tons, or nine truckloads, of single-stream recyclables per hour, including paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and jars, aluminum and metal food and beverage cans, and glass bottles and jars.
The facility will be designed with cutting-edge recycling technology, including a minimum of 10 optical sorters that use digital recognition to identify and separate paper or plastic in milliseconds, screening technology to sort recycling material by size and remove unrecyclable material from the stream, and artificial intelligence (AI) to help reduce contamination. AI system data also will enable real-time adjustments to maximize the volume of materials recycled. Groundbreaking, contingent on the permitting process, is anticipated to occur in the first quarter of 2026.
The project is expected to create up to 200 full-time construction jobs, and 60 full-time employees will work at the facility once completed.