Applications & Markets
Single Stream MRF Sorting Systems
Complete material recovery facilities for residential single-stream recyclables — fiber, containers, metals, and glass separated into clean, salable products.
Sherbrooke OEM designs, manufactures, and integrates complete single stream material recovery facilities (MRFs). A typical line combines metered infeed conveyors, OCC screens for cardboard, glass breaker screens for early glass removal, news/fiber screens separating paper from containers, overhead magnets and eddy current separators for metals, and Eagle Vizion NIR optical sorters for PET, HDPE, and mixed plastics. Systems are fabricated in Sherbrooke, Quebec and installed across Canada and the United States.
How a Single Stream Line Works
- Infeed & metering. A drum or apron feeder doses commingled recyclables onto the line at an even, controlled depth.
- Cardboard removal. The OCC screen lifts large cardboard out first, before it blinds downstream screens.
- Glass removal. A glass breaker screen sizes glass out early, protecting fiber quality and equipment.
- Fiber separation. News/fiber screens split paper from containers by shape across sequenced decks.
- Container sorting. Magnets, eddy current, and optical sorters recover steel, aluminum, PET, and HDPE from the container line.
- QC & baling. Picking stations purify each product; bunkers accumulate and meter material to the baler.
Key Equipment in Single Stream MRFs
OCC Screens
Early cardboard removal from the mixed recyclable stream.
Glass Breaker Screens
Deliberate glass sizing and removal ahead of fiber recovery.
ONP / Fiber Screens
Shape-based separation of paper from containers.
Acceleration Conveyors
High-speed singulation feeding optical sorters.
Eagle Vizion Optical Sorters
NIR + AI sorting of PET, HDPE, and mixed plastics.
Magnets, Eddy Current & Bunkers
Metal recovery and product storage feeding the baler.
Single Stream MRF — Frequently Asked Questions
What equipment does a single stream MRF typically include?
A typical single stream material recovery facility includes a metered infeed conveyor, an OCC screen to lift out cardboard early, a glass breaker screen to remove glass before it contaminates fiber, news/fiber screens to separate paper from containers, overhead magnets and an eddy current separator for metals, optical sorters for PET, HDPE, and mixed plastics, quality-control picking stations, and bunkers feeding the baler.
Why remove glass early in a single stream line?
Broken glass embeds itself in paper, abrades equipment, and contaminates every downstream product. A glass breaker screen deliberately sizes glass out of the stream in the first stages of the plant, producing a clean glass fraction and protecting fiber quality and equipment life for the rest of the line.
How do screens separate fiber from containers?
Fiber screens exploit shape: flat, two-dimensional paper rides up over rotating discs or stars while three-dimensional containers tumble backward. Sequenced screens at different angles and disc spacings progressively split cardboard, mixed paper, and containers into separate streams ahead of optical and manual sorting.
Can an existing MRF be upgraded rather than replaced?
Often, yes. Common retrofits include adding optical sorters on container lines, replacing worn screens with current designs, adding metering to smooth surges, and upgrading controls. The starting point is an engineering review of the existing layout, mass balance, and bottlenecks to identify which upgrades return the most capacity and purity per dollar.
Building or upgrading a MRF?
Send us your inbound composition and target capacity — our engineering team will propose a layout, mass balance, and recovery strategy. Engineered and manufactured in Sherbrooke, QC, serving Canada and the United States.
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