Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in the US
This dataset offers a nationwide view of the recycling infrastructure, profiling ~2,428 Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) across the United States. It provides structured intelligence on the flow, classification, and processing of recyclable materials—including paper, plastic, glass, metal, and organics—enabling market sizing, facility benchmarking, infrastructure planning, and circular economy analysis. Designed for municipal planners, ESG analysts, investors, and recycling operators, the dataset supports zero-waste strategy development and recycling value chain optimization.
Dataset Highlights
Geographic Coverage:
- Includes data on over 2,428 MRF facilities from across all 50 U.S. states
- MRFs Mapped: By state, location, and operational status
- Customer Segments Covered: Municipal, commercial, and industrial
- Material Types Processed: Glass, metal, plastic, paper, organics
- MRF Classification: Single-stream, dual-stream, mixed-waste, or specialized
Key Data Fields:
- 1. Facility-Level Data (~2,428 entries)
- Location & Entity: Facility name, URL, state, region
- Customer Type: Residential, commercial, industrial
- Material Focus: Paper, plastic, glass, metal, organics
- Service Offering: Inbound collection services (yes/no)
- MRF Type: Single-stream, dual-stream, mixed-waste, specialized
- Geospatial Tags: City, state, county, ZIP, latitude, longitude
- 2. Operational Classification
- Recycling Infrastructure Type: Public vs. private ownership
- Capacity Benchmarking: Infrastructure mapped by material stream and customer base
- Regional Analysis: Facility density, underserved zones, investment readiness
Advanced Analytics
- GIS Integration: Spatial mapping of MRFs and coverage zones
- Circular Material Flow Modeling: Visualize regional recovery efficiencies and gaps
- Benchmarking: Compare collection and processing capabilities by MRF type and material
- Zero-Waste Planning: Identify regions lacking processing infrastructure for targeted investment
- Compliance Analysis: Evaluate facility services against local diversion mandates
Use Cases
- Infrastructure planning for smart cities and zero-waste communities
- Recycling network benchmarking for ESG and sustainability teams
- Site selection and market analysis for MRF owners, operators, and material brokers
- Environmental compliance research for regulators and NGOs
- Circular economy consulting and material flow modeling
- Real estate and industrial development aligned with recovery infrastructure
Data Sources & Collection Methodology
- Compiled from
- State and municipal waste agencies
- EPA permits and infrastructure reports
- Corporate sustainability disclosures
- Environmental directories and public MRF databases
Each record is verified through public or company documentation. Fields are normalized by MRF classification, customer type, and recyclable material handled. Facility status, location, and URL are validated and geo-tagged for spatial analysis.
Data Quality & Processing
Delivery State: Cleaned and structured for GIS, BI, and infrastructure dashboards
- Processing Workflow Includes
- Validation & Deduplication: Verified through regulatory and company records
- Geospatial Enrichment: Latitude, longitude, ZIP, county, and state tagging
- Service Categorization: Tagged by customer type, material processed, and collection service availability
- Standardization: Unified field formats across facility types and states
- Metadata Inclusion: Includes URLs, classification, ownership model, and operational type
Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in the US