Cards’ new Springdale facility uses automated sorting technology
by January 30, 2025 2:14 pm 578 views
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Fayetteville-based Cards Recycling recently opened a 30,000-square-foot material recovery facility in Springdale amid rising demand for area recycling services. The $7.5 million facility is at 1503 N. Old Missouri Road.
CEO Dustin Reynolds said the new facility is where the company’s new headquarters is being built, comprising an 18-acre site. The solid waste collection company plans to relocate its headquarters in mid-2025.
Reynolds, who’s worked for Cards for over three years, was named CEO in early November, and interim CEO Dave Vaughn resumed his duties as chief operating officer. Reynolds was previously chief revenue officer and chief operating officer before Vaughn joined the company last summer. Cards founder Dan Christensen stepped down as CEO in late October.
Reynolds said customer demand for recycling services and area growth led Cards to build the new material recovery facility.
He said the new facility is unique to the area because of automation and the ability to divert a greater amount of waste from the landfill than is typical for the market. The diversion rate for the new facility is 85% compared to the 50% average for the market, he said. The new facility’s optical sorter helped to achieve the 85% diversion rate. The remaining 15% goes to the landfill because it either can’t be recycled or it’s trash.
He noted while the facility uses technology unique to the area, the technology isn’t new, as facilities along the East and West coasts use similar technology. Cards’ new facility handles recyclables it gathers from its residential, commercial and industrial routes. The facility handles aluminum, cardboard, paper, plastic and tin.
Staff pre-sort contaminated waste before the recyclables are run through the facility’s automated system, which automatically detects and sorts recyclables. The system uses conveyors to send sorted recyclables to various points in the facility, where they are made into bales to be sold. The waste goes to the adjacent transfer station. The new facility has about 20 staff.