North Las Vegas Hosts Bigger, Greener Plant

By Alex Girda, Associate Editor

A newly opened recycling plant in North Las Vegas is ensuring that much more of what goes around, comes around.

Able to handle 70 tons of material an hour, the 110,000-square-foot facility operated by Phoenix-based Republic Services will nearly double the area’s current recycling capacity.

Advanced features, like optical sorters that use 2D and 3D, speed up separation. Operators use highly automated touch-screen controls that enable real-time systems management and data acquisition.

Solar Panels at the Sothern Nevada Recycling Center

As part of an initiative to raise community awareness of the process, the recycling center offers a learning center and an observation deck. Sustainability, too, is a top priority. Energy efficiency is supported by 1,776 rooftop solar panels that can generate 933,162 kilowatts per year, enough to meet about 15 percent of the center’s energy needs. Low-water fixtures will cut consumption by about 20 percent compared to conventionally designed facilities.

Located near an older 88,000-square-foot facility, the Southern Nevada Recycling Center is one of 66 operated by Republic Services in the U.S. The company’s Southern Nevada branch employs some 1,300 people, and its assets include two transfer stations, a landfill and a natural gas fueling station, as well as 400 collection trucks.