SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): Waste Management (WM) has completed a $23 million renovation of its 15-year-old recycling facility in northeast Minneapolis, enhancing its capacity and efficiency through advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-powered sorting systems.

The upgraded facility, located off Broadway Street, now processes waste collected from Minnesota, the Dakotas, northern Iowa, and western Wisconsin, handling dozens of recycling loads daily. The newly installed AI sorting technology replaces manual sorting, helping prevent misclassification of materials that often leads to recyclables being sent to landfills. The upgrade will also significantly speed up the sorting process.

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According to Troy Hanson, Director of Post Collections Operations at WM, the plant can now process approximately 240,000 tons of recyclables annually, a major increase from its previous capacity of 150,000 tons. The new optical sorting system is designed to capture materials that were previously difficult to recover, ensuring a higher recycling yield and improved material recovery rates.

The modernization project is part of WM’s broader initiative to upgrade its recycling infrastructure nationwide, aligning with Minnesota’s waste management goals—which aim to recycle 75% of waste in the Twin Cities metro area and 35% statewide by 2030.

With this investment, WM strengthens its commitment to sustainable waste management and innovation, setting a new standard for recycling efficiency across the region.