The City of Phoenix Solid 91²Ö¿â Division was honored with the 2026 American Public Works Association (APWA) Arizona Project of the Year Award for the 27th Avenue Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) Upgrades Project. The recognition, presented by the Arizona Chapter of APWA, celebrates outstanding innovation, collaboration, focus on the environment, and excellence in public works.
Phoenix is proud to own two transfer stations, each of which includes a MRF where recyclables are sorted, baled, and shipped off to manufacturers. In 2021, the City began a total renovation on the 20-year-old MRF at 27th Avenue. The multi-year project replaced outdated equipment with upgraded machinery and modern tech to improve recycling processing.
The new Machinex sorting equipment, which was built into the MRF’s existing footprint, includes eleven optical sorters, two ballistic separators, a trommel screen, and a robot that can find and remove about 70 contaminants from a sorting line in one minute. Thanks to the renovation, Phoenix has increased the recovery of recyclable materials, meaning fewer items end up in the landfill.