Contact:
Sara Conte
Greenstar North America
Office: (713) 550-5589
Sara.Conte@greenstar-na.com

Greenstar to Grow its MRF Network

HOUSTON (May 9, 2008) - America's newest operator of material recovery facilities (MRFs) plans to double its single-stream processing capacity this year.

Houston-based Greenstar North America, a subsidiary of NTR (Dublin, Ireland) has acquired 15 processing facilities over the past several years. The firm presently handles about 1.5 million tons of recyclables per year, including nearly 500,000 tons per year of single-stream materials. In addition, Greenstar operates beverage container processing plants in several states.

Even with such fast growth, the company plans to expand its network. According to Steve Ragiel, Greenstar's chief executive officer, the firm wants to develop a nationwide presence and boost its annual single-stream processing capacity to one million tons, all by the end of 2008. With all of the firm's plants located in the midwest or on the east coast, market players are predicting part of the expansion effort will involve a move west. In addition to acquiring existing plants, Greenstar's expansion plans include the construction of new MRFs in selected markets.

Officials also stated the company plans to upgrade some of its facilities by installing more automated systems and using optical-sorting technologies for the handling of fibers and containers. Greenstar only operates stand-alone, merchant MRFs and does not provide waste collection and disposal services. 

"We like to be seen as Switzerland," said Ragiel, in that local Greenstar operations are delinked from the competitive waste management system. He did note, however, that all of the major publicly traded waste haulers are suppliers to Greenstar plants.

A key piece of Greenstar's business model is to operate as a hub-and-spoke MRF processing service. A sizable amount of recyclables are shipped into Greenstar MRFs by smaller suppliers from outlying communities, where establishing a full-blown single-stream MRF would not be feasible.

Ragiel notes that the company also is interested in downstream processing. Greenstar already operates a glass beneficiation plant in Pennsylvania and Ragiel stated the firm plans to replicate a mixed-film plastic reclamation facility currently operated by the company's UK sister company. In addition, Greenstar North America wants to use an HDPE bottles-to-bottles recycling technology employed by the UK firm.

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About Greenstar North America

Greenstar is America's largest private processor of recyclables backed by one of the world's largest private recycling companies. Greenstar provides sustainable recycling solutions in the recycle processing, commodity upgrading and commodity trading sector of the solid waste market. Greenstar entered the U.S. market in 2006 and quickly established a platform for growth by partnering with some of the leading companies in the industry:  Mid America Recycling, Delta Management Group, Todd Heller Inc, Joseph Damato Paperstock and Recycle Management Company. The company handles 1.5 million tons per year of recyclables through a network of 15 processing facilities. For more information visit www.greenstar-na.com.