Circular Services takes over two material recovery facilities in Mecklenburg County, NC, under a five-year agreement to modernize recycling infrastructure.
The company will operate a 50,000-square-foot facility, processing over 6,000 tons of residential materials monthly and hiring 35 full-time employees.
The initial facility will be repurposed for construction and demolition waste after the Metrolina MRF retrofit is completed in mid-2026.
This expansion follows Circular Services’ recent growth in Texas, Alabama, and Connecticut, highlighting a trend of municipalities partnering with private firms for essential services.
Circular Services, a recycling operator under the Closed Loop Partners umbrella, announced it’s taking over two material recovery facilities (MRFs) for Mecklenburg County, NC. The deal is designed to overhaul the county’s public recycling infrastructure with a private-sector partner.
The plan: Under a five-year agreement, the company will operate a nearly 50,000-square-foot facility, processing over 6,000 tons of residential materials monthly. Circular Services plans to hire 35 full-time employees to run the site, which will manage the county’s single-stream recycling and market the recovered commodities, according to reports.
A tale of two facilities: The initial site is a stopgap measure while the county’s flagship Metrolina MRF gets a major retrofit. Once that upgrade is complete in mid-2026, the first facility will be repurposed to handle construction and demolition (C&D) waste, tapping into a growing market for industrial material recovery.
Connecting the dots: The North Carolina deal is the latest in a string of expansions for the company. The move follows Circular Services breaking ground on a new MRF in Texas and acquiring smaller recycling and organics operators in Alabama and Connecticut earlier this year.
The bottom line: The partnership is a clear example of municipalities turning to specialized private companies to modernize essential services, aiming to cut landfill costs and improve recovery rates. Beyond this partnership, the regional supply chain for these materials is already established, with recycled paper often staying in-state while glass and aluminum head to Georgia and Tennessee. The MRF overhaul is also just one piece of the county’s broader sustainability push, which includes specialized collection programs for items like solar panels, textiles, and medical devices.
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