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TDS Prime Association Pvt Ltd
Materials recovery facility sorting line

MRF Waste Management

Materials Recovery Facilities that separate dry waste into clean, saleable commodity streams.

What is a Materials Recovery Facility?

An MRF is the point where mixed dry waste stops being a disposal problem and starts being a revenue stream. Incoming material is fed onto a controlled line where mechanical and manual sorting stages progressively separate paper, cartons, PET, HDPE, films, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and glass.

The output is baled, graded commodity that recyclers will actually pay for — and a residual fraction small enough to be economically routed to RDF rather than landfill.

Trommel screen and picking conveyors inside an MRF

How we design an MRF

We size the line to your daily tonnage and expected composition, then choose the sequence of separation stages that reaches your purity targets with the fewest manual pickers.

Ergonomics matter as much as machinery: picking cabin height, belt speed, lighting and chute placement all determine whether the designed recovery rate is achieved in practice.

Core MRF equipment

Bag Openers

Open incoming bags without shredding the contents, preserving the quality of recoverable material.

Trommel Screens

Size-based separation that removes fines and splits the stream into manageable fractions.

Picking Conveyors

Ergonomic sorting platforms with chutes and bunkers positioned for sustained picking rates.

Air Density Separators

Split light films and paper from heavy rigid material using controlled air classification.

Magnetic & Eddy Current Separators

Automatic recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metal without manual handling.

Balers

Compact sorted commodity into transport-efficient, market-ready bales.

Benefits of a well-designed MRF

  • Higher commodity purity means better prices from recyclers.
  • Sharp reduction in the volume of waste sent to landfill.
  • Predictable, measurable recovery rates for reporting and compliance.
  • Creates structured, safer employment for sorting staff.
  • Residual fraction feeds directly into RDF production.
  • Modular layout allows capacity to be expanded in stages.

How It Works

Process & mass flow for a Materials Recovery Facility

Mixed municipal waste enters once and leaves as four graded streams. Each trommel stage takes a size cut, and every cut gets its own sorting and separation train.

  • Process stage
  • Saleable output
  • Residue / reject
Process and mass flow diagram for a Materials Recovery FacilityMixed municipal solid waste is weighed, tipped and bag-opened, then passes through a cascade of trommel screens at 300, 16, 200, 120 and 60 millimetres. Each size cut feeds manual sorting followed by air density and magnetic separation, producing a light fraction sold as refuse-derived fuel and a heavy fraction rejected to secure landfill. Material finer than 16 millimetres goes to landfill as residue, and material finer than 60 millimetres is recovered as the organic fraction for composting.Mixed MSW receivedat the facilityWeigh bridge —quantity recordedTipping floor —loader feeds hopperBag opener —controlled feedingTrommel screen300 mm−300 mmTrommel screen16 mm−16 mm passesTrommel screen200 mm−200 mmTrommel screen120 mm−120 mmTrommel screen60 mm+300 mmManual sortingof oversizeRecyclables recoveredRejects to landfill−16 mm finesResidue to landfill+200 mmManual sortingof +200 mmAir density +magnetic separatorLights → RDF fuelHeavies → SLF reject+120 mmManual sortingof +120 mmAir density +magnetic separatorLights → RDF fuelHeavies → SLF reject+60 mmManual sortingof +60 mmAir density +magnetic separatorLights → RDF fuelHeavies → SLF reject−60 mm organic fractionOrganic fraction for composting

Screen apertures and stage count are configured to your waste characterisation — this layout is indicative.

Let's come together to make cities clean, and farms green

Talk to our team about your waste processing requirement — we will get back to you within one working day.

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