Republic Services, Inc. announced plans to construct a state-of-the-art recycling center in Bridgeton, Mo., to serve Greater St. Louisand the region. Republic Services expects the facility, anticipated to open in mid-2027, will have higher capacity and more advanced technology than current facilities in the area, helping to improve recycling rates.
The 105,000-square-foot recycling center is estimated to manage recyclables from approximately 3 million people throughout Greater St. Louis and surrounding communities. The high-capacity facility will process up to 45 tons, or nine truckloads, of single-stream recyclables per hour, including paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and jugs, aluminum and metal food and beverage cans, and glass bottles and jars.
“Our聽investment聽in聽this聽new聽recycling聽center聽reinforces聽Republic聽Services’聽commitment聽to circularity, sustainability and the St. Louis community,” said Republic Services Area President聽Andrew聽Wempe. “It聽will聽meet聽growing聽demand聽for聽recycling聽throughout Greater St. Louis and help our customers achieve their sustainability goals.”
The facility will be designed with cutting-edge recycling technology, including a minimum of 10 optical sorters that use digital recognition to identify and separate paper or plastic in milliseconds, screening technology to sort recycling material by size and remove unrecyclable material from the stream, and artificial intelligence (AI) to help reduce contamination. AI system data also will enable real-time adjustments to maximize the volume of materials recycled.
Groundbreaking, contingent on the permitting process, is anticipated to occur in the first quarter of 2026. The project is expected to create up to 200 full-time construction jobs, and 60 full-time employees will work at the facility once completed.
Republic Services has a large presence in Greater St. Louis. The company employs nearly 1,000 people in the area and operates 12 facilities, including hauling locations, transfer stations, recycling centers and disposal sites.
The company also actively supports Greater St. Louis through community investment and volunteer initiatives. Over the last seven years, support from Republic Services and the Republic Services Charitable Foundation to area nonprofits has positively impacted more than 360,000 people in Greater St. Louis and more than 650,000 people throughout Missouri.
As one of the nation’s largest recyclers, Republic Services processes 5 million tons of recyclable materials annually through 75 facilities across the country.