Recycling plant gets $10 million makeover to improve sustainability

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Twin Cities zero waste nonprofit is getting a $10 million dollar loan to upgrade its equipment. 
800,000 pounds of recyclable material comes through Eureka everyday.
Crews at the Minneapolis-based non-profit sift through cans, paper and cardboard to help reduce what ends up in landfills.
“At Eureka Recycling we believe waste is preventable,” said Miriam Holsinger, co-president of Eureka Recycling.
Holsinger believes preventing environmental deterioration is possible, but what is not preventable is what time does to deteriorating infrastructure.
“Our facility is about 20 years old and it’s been 10 years since the last upgrade, so there’s a few things that need to be updated,” said Holsinger. 
A recent loan of $10 million from Closed Loop Partners, American Beverage and The Recycling Partnership will help ensure the facility can keep up to date with the changing industry.
“We have been seeing more and more bottles and cans and less paper, as those types of materials change we need different types of equipment to sort it effectively,” said Holsinger. 
The loan will help install a new scale that has deteriorated from constant wear and tear from the elements, a new floor for the sorting area, and auto sorters that separate papers, carboards and other materials.
“We were able to keep 75% of everything we sorted in Minnesota and 90% of things sorted stays in the Midwest,” said Holsinger. “And then it’s being made into bottles, cans and cardboard where it will be used again.”
We won’t see more recycling trucks on the road, but we will see an a more efficient closed loop system of recyclables being bought and reused by local companies.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but treasuring what we have for longer can help achieve a more sustainable future.
“The more we can use things to help reduce what we buy, the better,” said Holsinger.