MRFF (Materials Recovery for the Future)

Materials Recovery for the future - MRFF - is a packaging recovery value chain project sponsored by brand owners, manufacturers, recyclers, and trade associations to research the technical and economic feasibility of adapting material recovery facilities (MRFs) to sort today’s evolving ton of packaging in single-stream processing systems. MRFF research has shown that light weight plastic films, pouches, bags, and wraps flow with paper products and can be cost effectively sorted into recycled plastic product bales by automated sorting equipment to make more recycled products and produce cleaner paper product bales. MRFF is concurrently researching end markets and testing product bale performance with plastic recyclers and PCR product manufacturers for end users seeking green work in process, durable products, and green building products. MRFF has worked from the outset with MRF operators and the paper industry to test upgrades that will benefit both flexible packaging and paper recovery. MRFF’s continued research is expected to provide multiple benefits for the circular economy: 1) divert more valuable plastic material from landfill into recycled plastic products, 2) improve MRF paper bale quality for sale to mills, and 3) reduce manual labor quality costs during MRF sortation. Learn more on how to get involved with MRFF and keep updated on research findings at: www.materialsrecoveryforthefuture.com.