Balcones Recycling Opens State-of-the-Art Recycling Campus in San Antonio

San Antonio, TX – Balcones Recycling (“Balcones”), welcomed community leaders, industry and municipal partners, and environmental advocates on June 13^th to celebrate the grand opening of their newest state-of-the-art facility located in San Antonio, Texas, as well as their 30^th anniversary. Balcones is a business unit of Circular Services, the largest privately held recycling company in the U.S. The inauguration marks a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to revolutionize recycling and increase recycling rates across the country. Equipped with a 50 ton-per-hour system by CP Group, the San Antonio Materials Recovery Facility will be the first with a fully-automated container line, making it the most automated facility in the country. The facility will process both residential and commercial single-stream material for the City of San Antonio and surrounding communities. Recovered recyclable materials will be marketed in North America.

Designed and built by KDW, the 145,000 square foot facility represents a $68 million investment in San Antonio recycling. The campus also includes the latest innovations in recycling technology, amenities dedicated to employee wellness, and community engagement programs. “As we established when we first sought out this project, our goal is to deliver a recycling campus that is without peer anywhere in the country,” said Balcones President Adam Vehik. “This facility is living proof of our commitment to that goal.” 

The San Antonio MRF is Balcones’ fourth facility in Texas. The company will create approximately 70 new full-time environmental jobs in San Antonio to operate the facility. On-site resources will include:  

• Integrated walking trails, recreational facilities, and a community garden program for employees.
• Viewing gallery and education outreach activities for the community. 
• Drop-off options for recyclable materials outside of the City program.   

The City of San Antonio awarded Balcones with a 15-year municipal recycling contract in April 2022, set to commence on August 1^st, 2024. The facility’s advanced capabilities enable the recycling of a wide range of materials with unprecedented precision and efficiency. It will also be one of the first facilities of its kind with the capability to sort hard-to-recycle materials like film and flexible plastics. Further, the facility will serve as a hub for education and outreach, offering tours, workshops, and educational programs to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and serve as a community resource.

“We are excited about the environmental and economic impact that the recycling campus will bring to the community,” said Vehik. “We designed this facility specifically to exceed the City of San Antonio’s diversion goals and to serve the community as environmental stewards for many years.”

Balcones has accelerated its growth in the past year after becoming the recycling arm of Circular Services, a leading developer of circular economy infrastructure. The inauguration of this facility brings Balcones Recycling’s total reach to 19 regions across the U.S., serving hundreds of municipalities, 13 million people and processing over one million tons of material.

“Balcones Recycling plays an important role in achieving Circular Services’ mission to provide more communities and companies with solutions to reduce dependence on extraction and landfill. The opening of the San Antonio facility is a milestone for advancing circular economy infrastructure in the country. The state-of-the art facility demonstrates best practices for material recovery and is anticipated to have a significant impact on keeping more materials in circulation across the region,” said Jessica Long, Chief Strategy Officer of Circular Services and Closed Loop Partners.