Cleanest Recycling Stream According to your MRF (Material Recovery Facility)

When you toss a plastic bottle or a cardboard box into your recycling bin, you might wonder: where does it actually go? For residents and businesses in Monmouth and Atlantic County, and other regions across the Northeast, that journey leads to Tinton Falls. Specifically, it leads to our 70,000-square-foot Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

A Material Recovery Facility is essentially a high-tech heart for the circular economy. It’s a massive complex where “single stream” recycling is dropped off, spread out, and sorted into organized categories like cardboard, mixed paper, glass, metals, and plastics. At Mazza Recycling, we use a sophisticated combination of human expertise and cutting-edge technology—including mechanical screens, optical sensors, magnets, and feed belts—to ensure these materials can be sold and repurposed into brand-new goods.

But for this system to work at peak efficiency, the “cleanliness” of the stream matters. There are many myths about how pristine your recycling needs to be, so let’s set the record after a deep dive into what makes a “clean” stream.

Dispelling the “Squeaky Clean” Myth

One of the biggest misconceptions in the recycling world is that every jar needs to be put through the dishwasher or that every pizza box is “trash” because of a single grease stain.

In reality, while we strive for a clean stream, we don’t expect perfection. Our goal is to recover as much material as possible while maintaining the quality of the end product. On our Instagram page, we recently shared a guide on March 17 that breaks down exactly what we mean by “clean.”

The Mazza Standard: Empty, Clean, and Dry

The most important rule for a high-quality recycling stream is that items should be Empty, Clean, and Dry.

• Empty: Make sure there is no leftover soda in the bottle or half-eaten yogurt in the cup. Liquid is a major contaminant because it can soak into paper and cardboard, making them impossible to recycle.
• Clean: You don’t need to scrub your peanut butter jar until it shines. A quick rinse to remove the bulk of the residue is usually enough.
• Dry: Once you’ve rinsed it, give it a shake or let it air dry. Moisture is the enemy of the paper-sorting process.

Why Our MRF is Different

Every Material Recovery Facility is built differently. Some older facilities rely strictly on manual labor, which means their rules have to be very rigid to protect workers and keep the lines moving.

At Mazza Recycling, we have invested over $15 million into our single stream recycling technology. Because our system uses advanced optical sorters and positive-sorting technology, we are able to be more “lenient” than many other facilities.

For example, while some programs have banned certain plastics entirely, our facility is designed to catch and sort a wider variety of materials, ensuring they stay out of the landfill and stay in the manufacturing loop, including polypropylene (number 5 plastics), PET clamshell containers, and other plastic containers that don’t follow the typical “neck smaller than base” rule.

The “Big Three” Rules for Max Sustainability

Even with our advanced technology, there are a few “absolute nos” that can jam our machines or ruin an entire batch of good recycling. To provide the cleanest stream possible, remember these three rules:

1. No Plastic Bags: This is the most important rule. Plastic bags (and other “tanglers” like hoses or wires) get caught in our spinning screens. This forces us to shut down the entire plant to manually cut them out. Always leave your recyclables loose in the bin.
2. No Food Waste: While a little grease on a pizza box is okay, actual food scraps are not. Compost your food waste or put it in the trash; it has no place in the recycling stream.
3. Keep it Real: Only recycle what is on our accepted list. When in doubt, “check it out” on our website or social media. “Wish-cycling”—tossing something in the bin hoping it’s recyclable—actually does more harm than good by contaminating the piles of materials we’ve already sorted.

Small Steps, Big Impact

Recycling is a partnership between you and our facility. By following these simple standards, you help us create a more sustainable future for New Jersey. Our technology is powerful, but it works best when it starts with a “clean” foundation at your curb.

For a full list of what we accept and more tips on how to optimize your home or business recycling, visit our official guide on single stream recycling.

Together, we can ensure that every piece of cardboard, metal, and plastic gets the second life it deserves.