WM Canada advances construction on Edmonton recycling facility with optical sorting, opening early 2027

CANADA – WM Canada has advanced construction on a new preconditioning recycling facility in Edmonton, featuring optical sorters and integrated sorting systems, as part of a US$1.38 billion investment across 39 North American facilities.

The facility is designed to manage a significant portion of Alberta’s residential recyclable material using advanced sorting technology that includes automation and optical systems to support evolving recycling programs across the province. 

The project includes the modernization of an existing building on WM-owned property along with a significant facility expansion, with an Alberta-based design-build firm and local contractors supporting construction.

Supporting Alberta’s EPR Transition

WM Canada will own and operate the facility as part of Alberta’s evolving extended producer responsibility system, working in collaboration with Circular Materials, the nonprofit organisation responsible for implementing and managing the province’s recycling system for residential packaging and paper products. 

The construction phase is expected to create about 80 full-time jobs through 2026 and into early 2027. 

The facility is expected to employ about 45 full-time team members once operational.

Tracy Black, president of WM Canada, explained that this investment reflects the company’s commitment to building recycling infrastructure that better supports local communities. 

By leveraging advanced sorting technology and WM’s operational expertise, the facility is designed to improve material recovery, broaden the range of accepted recyclables over time, and help advance a circular economy. 

Hon Grant Hunter, Alberta’s minister of environment and protected areas, stated that this represents another step as Alberta moves forward on Extended Producer Responsibility.

Technology at the Core

The technologies are designed to enhance identification and separation of packaging and paper products using near-infrared and advanced optical sorting systems. 

They also support improved material capture and preparation for further processing, along with enabling more efficient transportation and logistics across Alberta. 

Allen Langdon, CEO of Circular Materials, explained that strong recycling systems depend on infrastructure that can keep pace with today’s packaging, noting that transitioning to extended producer responsibility enables innovation and greater efficiency, including single-stream recycling. 

With the development of this new facility in Edmonton, Circular Materials is expanding processing capacity to improve material quality and reliability.

A Multi-Billion Dollar Infrastructure Bet

WM’s US$1.38 billion investment across 39 facilities represents one of the largest recycling infrastructure commitments in North America. 

The Edmonton facility is one node in a continent-wide network designed to process residential recyclables from communities that have transitioned to single-stream collection.

For Alberta, which has historically relied on manual sorting and older technology, the facility marks a generational upgrade in processing capability.

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