WM Opens $90M Recycling Facility in South Florida

The new 127,000-square-foot MRF can process 275,000 tons of material annually.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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WM, the waste management company, has opened a new $90 million material recovery facility (MRF) in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The 127,000-square-foot facility is one of the most technologically advanced in WM's network and can process approximately 275,000 tons of recyclable material per year, serving households in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Collier Counties.

Why it matters

The new MRF is part of WM's broader $1.4 billion investment to upgrade recycling infrastructure across North America. The facility utilizes state-of-the-art equipment, including artificial intelligence-powered optical sorters, to increase recycling volumes and reduce contamination in the region, which has seen some municipalities pull back recycling programs in recent years due to economic pressures.

The details

The MRF is equipped with 18 optical sorters, one of which uses AI technology to better identify and recover used beverage cans. It also has multiple volumetric scanners to prevent jams, four balers for redundancy, and a glass cleaning system. The facility employs 80 workers across two shifts, including 14 dedicated to manual sorting. In addition to the processing capabilities, the MRF features a sustainability education station to inform community groups and stakeholders about the recycling process.

  • WM celebrated the opening of the new MRF in Pembroke Pines, Florida last week.
  • WM will break ground on a new 109,000-square-foot MRF in Tampa in April 2027, which is expected to open by November 1, 2027.

The players

WM

An American waste management, environmental solutions, and energy services company.

David Myhan

WM Florida-area vice president.

Dawn McCormick

WM Florida-area director of communications and government affairs.

Michael DeClerck

WM Florida-area director of recycling operations.

Pembroke Pines Charter High School

A high school that partnered with WM to plant a microhabitat in front of the new MRF facility.

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What they’re saying

“WM is proud to celebrate our new recycling facility in South Florida. WM Recycling South Florida is one of the largest and highest volume recycling facilities companywide. It utilizes state-of-the-art equipment that leverages artificial intelligence and optical sorting technologies, which we expect to increase the amount of materials we can process for recycling. Together with our customers and communities, we are helping drive circularity in South Florida.”

— David Myhan, WM Florida-area vice president (WM)

“We're excited about continuing to grow recycling volumes, continuing to bring contamination down and to work with our municipal partners. We have very robust recycling in Florida, but we've had some cities and counties pull back their programs over the last four to five years for economic reasons, and a lot of them are looking to come back. We're excited about bringing them back in.”

— Dawn McCormick, WM Florida-area director of communications and government affairs (WM)

What’s next

WM will break ground on its new 109,000-square-foot Tampa MRF in April 2027, which is slated to open by November 1, 2027. The new Tampa facility will replace an existing MRF and is expected to process up to 50 tons of material per hour with a 228,000-ton annual processing capacity.

The takeaway

WM's investment in this state-of-the-art recycling facility in South Florida demonstrates the company's commitment to driving circularity and increasing recycling volumes in the region. The facility's advanced technology and focus on sustainability education will help WM work with municipal partners to revive recycling programs that had been scaled back in recent years due to economic pressures.