Recyclables in Mecklenburg County now have a new processing center. The county’s Solid Waste department held a grand opening for the Pence Road Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). This facility will handle all single-stream recyclable materials collected from residential curbside programs, schools, and drop-off locations throughout the county and nearby areas.
Located at 7833 Pence Road, the 48,510-square-foot facility offers flexibility in managing sustainable resources while reducing landfill waste. It will serve as the main processing hub during a major retrofit of the Metrolina MRF on Amble Drive, which is expected to be completed by summer 2026.
“After the original MRF on Amble Drive is retrofitted with state-of-the-art technology, the Pence Road facility will focus on expanding our abilities for recycling in the future,” said Jeff Smithberger, director of Solid Waste. “We’ll have multiple facilities in our community that can accept and process recyclable items from our great community.”
The opening also signifies a new partnership between Solid Waste and Circular Services, which began its role as the county’s processing and operations partner earlier this month.
Mecklenburg County plans to deliver over 6,000 tons of residential single-stream recyclable material to the Pence Road facility each month. Circular Services will oversee processing, marketing of these materials, and maintenance of the facilities.
