Texas Disposal Systems, based in Austin, has unveiled a bespoke material recovery facility (MRF) at Q2 Stadium, the home of Austin FC, the city's Major League Soccer (MLS) team. The mini MRF can handle approximately 1.5 tonnes of materials per hour, including aluminium cans, glass, food waste, cardboard, paper products, plastic bottles, and other recyclables.
In alignment with the team's goal of making Q2 Stadium the "greenest stadium in MLS," Texas Disposal has developed a tailored sorting system to address the stadium's specific needs. Now, all materials discarded at Q2 Stadium are processed and sorted into recycling, compost, and waste streams through this specialized mini MRF.
“The Austin FC fans are fantastic and do a great job at keeping materials in the right container; however, to truly maximize recovery of organics and recyclables it was necessary to create a system that enables Austin FC staff to look at each stream and sort it for quality control. The automated conveyor and compaction system we came up with accomplishes that as efficiently as possible in a small footprint. I commend Austin FC for going the extra mile and working with us to create an innovative solution,” said Adam Gregory, vice president of Texas Disposal Systems and Okapi Environmental Services.
The company had to create a compact system designed to fit within the stadium’s service area, where space is extremely limited. Texas Disposal was instrumental in enabling Q2 Stadium to become the first soccer-specific stadium globally to earn TRUE pre-certification. With the new sorting process and equipment now operational, Austin FC aims to sustain a 90 percent diversion rate and further enhance efforts with the goal of achieving zero waste, according to the team.
“As Austin FC’s official waste and recycling partner, TDS has been the biggest help I could possibly imagine, not just with this project but since the existence of our stadium and our club. Their team has helped us form our zero-waste goals, develop our Eco Stations and our hauling systems. I think this mini MRF project in particular is way above and beyond what we could have expected and it’s going to help us meet our goals,” added Nick Otte, senior director of stadium operations at Austin FC.
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