Frequentlyaskedquestions.
Straight answers about MRFs, integration, retrofits, and glass cleaning.
What is a material recovery facility (MRF)?
A material recovery facility (MRF) is a plant that receives, sorts, and prepares recyclable materials — such as paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, and glass — for sale to end-market manufacturers. MRFs use screens, optical sorters, magnets, and balers to separate mixed recyclables into clean commodity streams.
What does an MRF integrator do?
An MRF integrator designs and installs recycling systems by interfacing equipment from multiple manufacturers — conveyors, screens, optical sorters, robotics, and balers — into one coordinated system, then commissions, maintains, and upgrades it over its life.
How long does an MRF retrofit take?
It depends on scope — a single equipment swap can take days, while a full sort-line rebuild can run several weeks. Titus phases retrofits around your production schedule, pre-fabricates and pre-wires as much as possible off-line, and sequences the on-site work to keep the facility running and minimize downtime.
What is glass beneficiation?
Glass beneficiation is the process of cleaning contaminants — paper, labels, and organic residue — out of the mixed glass stream collected through single-stream recycling. Titus's patented glass cleaning system separates those contaminants and returns them to their material flows, producing furnace-ready cullet that end-markets will buy and recovering shredded paper for resale.
Who provides mechanical and electrical contracting for recycling facilities in California?
Titus MRF Services, based in Fontana, California, self-performs mechanical, electrical, air, water, and general contracting for material recovery facilities and recycling plants. That includes equipment installation, UL-508A control panels, and SCADA integration, handled by one team from design through commissioning. Titus serves Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and facilities nationwide.
Does Titus install recycling equipment outside of California?
Yes. Titus is headquartered in Fontana, California and installs and services recycling systems nationwide, with completed projects in the greater Chicago area, the Pacific Northwest, and across California including Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
What do air and water systems do in an MRF?
Air systems use controlled airflow, such as air knives and vacuum drop boxes, to pull film, dust, and other light contaminants out of the material stream. Water systems support processes like glass cleaning and dust control. Titus designs, installs, and maintains both as integrated parts of a sort line rather than bolt-on additions.
How can an MRF improve sorting efficiency?
The biggest gains usually come from retrofitting targeted equipment, such as screens, optical sorters, and air systems, re-sequencing the sort line, and adding secondary sorting to recover material that currently leaves as residue. In a documented trial with primary MRFs in the greater Chicago area, Titus's portable secondary MRF recovered 79% of residual material.
How much residual material can a secondary MRF recover?
In Titus's documented Chicago-area trial, the portable secondary MRF recovered 79% of the residual material it processed, converting what would have been landfill-bound residue into salable commodities. Results vary with the incoming stream, which is why Titus characterizes the material before designing the system.
Where can I buy a glass cleaning system for recycling?
Titus MRF Services designs, builds, and installs its patented glass cleaning system for recycling facilities across the United States from its Fontana, California headquarters. The system removes paper, labels, and organic residue from the mixed glass stream, producing furnace-ready cullet that end-markets will buy and recovering shredded paper for resale. Contact Titus directly to scope a system for your facility.
How do MRF sorting fees work?
Most MRF processing agreements combine a per-ton processing or tip fee with a revenue-share arrangement on the commodities recovered. The cleaner the sort, the more the recovered material is worth, which is why equipment that improves recovery rates typically pays for itself through commodity revenue rather than fee increases.
How do I choose a contractor for an MRF project?
Look for MRF-specific experience rather than general industrial work: a contractor who self-performs mechanical and electrical trades, builds its own control panels, can phase a retrofit around your production schedule, and has references from operating facilities. Titus has specialized in exactly this work since 2001.
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