What Happens at the MRF?

A MRF (pronounced “murf”) is a recycling facility that receives, sorts, and prepares recyclable materials for reuse. The facility in Campbell County is called a single stream recycling facility because it can receive all sorts of recyclable materials—paper, plastic, metals, and more. Recyclable materials arrive at the MRF all mixed together, and workers and automated equipment work to sort and process them.

After you drop off your recyclable materials at a convenience center, they will travel to the county recycling facility by truck.  Workers will the recyclable materials by hand. Once everything has been sorted, the separated materials go into balers, which press them together into big blocks of one type of material. These blocks are then driven to other locations where the materials can be further processed and turned into new products.

Benefits of the MRF

The MRF provides benefits to the county’s residents, the environment, and the county itself.

• Residents benefit from the county MRF because they do not need to worry about taking their different waste and recyclable materials to a variety of locations. Instead, all sorted household trash and recyclable materials can be brought to one facility, either directly or at convenience centers. Recyclable materials do not need to be carefully sorted from one another but rather can be placed in the same recycling bin for the MRF to sort through.
• MRFs are great for the environment. More recyclable materials are recovered at a MRF than at a traditional solid waste processing facility. This means more items are recycled and fewer items are sent to the landfill. Also, since less sorting and steps are necessary for residents when recycling at a MRF, more people are willing to recycle their household items instead of throwing them in the trash to be sent to the landfill.
• As a county, Campbell County benefits financially from selling the recyclables it processes at its MRF. This brings in extra money to the county to fund county programs and services that then benefit the county’s residents and visitors. The more the county recycles, the more money it earns.

Convenience Centers

For those without residential garbage pickup, the Campbell County Sanitation Department operates convenience centers where you can drop off your trash and recycling. These centers are located throughout the county and are open from 9:00AM to 5:00PM on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (unless otherwise noted). The centers are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. These convenience centers are each staffed by an attendant to assist residents in disposing of their solid waste. Only the materials listed will be accepted at each center. Brush will only be accepted at the Towe String location. The resident must weigh in, give the attendant/office personnel information on where the brush came from, dispose of the brush in the proper location and then finally weigh back out. Metal is received at the Towe String and Oswego locations only.

Fees Associated with Commercial Dumping

All contractors, residential haulers, and anyone doing a job for hire must pay a disposal fee. The fees are as follows:

• Commercial Residential Trash $42.00/ton
• Commercial Construction Debris or Junk (Furniture, Construction Material, Boats, Boat Docks, Hot Tubs, RV’s, Campers, etc.) $50.00/ton.
• Commercial Brush Haulers or Commercial Pallets $59.50/ton
• Tires (off the rim only) $1.00 per tire

Hazardous Waste

The dates for hazardous waste collection are scheduled each spring and fall. Call the Sanitation Department’s main office at 423-562-1811 to find out the dates and drop-off locations.

Convenience Centers

For those without residential garbage pickup, the Campbell County Sanitation Department operates convenience centers where you can drop off your trash and recycling. These centers are located throughout the county and are open from 9:00AM to 5:00PM on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (unless otherwise noted). The centers are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. These convenience centers are each staffed by an attendant to assist residents in disposing of their solid waste. Only the materials listed will be accepted at each center.

Trash Pickup

Campbell County does not control when your trash is picked up. If you have residential garbage pickup, that service is run by the municipality. For information about trash pickup, please contact your municipality.

Commercial waste disposal services for restaurants, industries, and businesses are handled through third-party haulers at a cost. Campbell County has no control over these services.