Mid Valley Recycling (MVR)—a subsidiary of Mid Valley Disposal—cut the ribbon today on a new sorting line, one that will use six AI-powered robots to reduce the amount of recyclable material sent to the landfill.
“Today’s ribbon cutting is more than just a facility upgrade,” said Cara Morgan, Deputy Director, Division of Materials Management and Local Assistance for CalRecycle. “It really is an investment in a cleaner and healthier place in California.”
Morgan said that upwards of 40 million tons of materials still wind up in landfills every year, materials that could go back into the “circular economy” to make new products.
That kind of volume is “unacceptable,” said Morgan, but the new project at MVR will go a long way to changing that.
Funding for the upgraded recycling technology came from a CalRecycle Beverage Container Quality Infrastructure Grant worth nearly $4.6 million. It was one of nine grants totaling $46 million funded by the State of California. Projects in Alameda, Kern, Marin, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Shasta counties were also selected.
In a March press release, President and CEO of Mid-Valley Disposal Joseph Kalpakoff said, “For more than a year now, we’ve been working on improving our commercial processing facility. This grant supports our own investment in making key improvements to our operational infrastructure and install cutting-edge technology.”
The total project cost exceeds $12 million.
It’s an investment that brings state-of-the-art recycling technology to Fresno, said City of Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.
“AI-powered sorting robots and a brand-new commercial processing line will improve recycling recovery, reduce contamination, and help divert more materials away from our landfills,” Dyer said. “We know how important that is.”
MVR partnered with California-based recycling technology company Glacier to deploy the technology.
Glacier CEO and founder Rebecca Hu-Thrams said, “This is what the future of recycling looks like: local infrastructure, local leadership, and modern technology all coming together to help communities keep valuable resources in circulation instead of sitting in the landfill.”
Fresno joins other “forward-thinking” cities to partner with Glacier, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit and Phoenix.
“And now, Fresno joins that prestigious list,” Dyer said. “This project really positions our Valley to be a leader in sustainability in the nation. That’s something that all of us can be very proud of.”
In 2025, Mid Valley Disposal’s Material Recovery Facility processed more than 130,000 tons of cardboard, various plastic containers, glass, and aluminum from local communities.
Mid Valley Disposal is a member of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce. If your company is interested in joining the Chamber, contact Dejah Magana or visit our website.
Photo courtesy of Emily Nichols, Mid Valley Disposal
