Circular Services, a leading developer and operator of circular economy infrastructure in the United States, announced it has been selected by Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, to serve as their recycling processing and operations partner. Circular Services will take over operations of the County’s two Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), supporting the region’s growing need for modernized recycling infrastructure and advancing local efforts to recover valuable materials at scale.
Starting June 2025, Circular Services will operate the County’s 48,510 sq. ft. MRF at 7833 Pence Road under a five-year agreement with two one-year extensions. Initially, the facility will serve in an interim capacity to process residential single-stream recyclable materials while the County undertakes a major retrofit of its flagship Metrolina MRF on Amble Drive.
Once the retrofit is complete, expected in mid-2026, Circular Services will transition residential single-stream processing to the upgraded Metrolina MRF and repurpose the Pence Road facility as a construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facility鈥攐ptimized to meet the region’s growing demand for industrial material recovery. Circular Services will operate the Metrolina MRF under a separate five-year agreement with two one-year extensions.
The partnership was formally celebrated at a ribbon-cutting event held on June 17, where leaders from Mecklenburg County and Circular Services gathered at the Pence Road MRF to mark the start of this new collaboration. The event underscored both parties’ shared commitment to building local recycling capacity and investing in long-term solutions for material recovery. Speakers included Ebenezer Gujjarlapudi, Director of the Land Use & Environmental Services Agency (LUESA); Elaine Powell, Commissioner for District 1 & Chair of Environmental Stewardship Committee; Jeff Smithberger, Director of Solid Waste; and Ron Gonen, CEO of Circular Services.
“This partnership reflects Mecklenburg County’s forward-thinking commitment to strengthening local recycling infrastructure,” said Gonen. “We are proud to bring our operational expertise to North Carolina and support the County’s efforts to maximize recovery, reduce landfill disposal costs, and build a more circular local economy.”
“[The new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)] is a picture of the County’s ongoing investment in environmental stewardship, sustainability and innovation,” said Gujjarlapudi during his remarks. “Recycling in Mecklenburg County is not optional, it is essential.”