How King County, WA is leveraging Juno庐 to achieve zero waste goals.
By Christer Henriksson
In 2019, King County, WA, published a Waste Characterization study that revealed, despite its well-established curbside recycling programs, nearly 70 percent of waste鈥攎ore than 600,000 tons鈥攚as still ending up in municipal landfills. The Cedar Hills Landfill, approaching its land-bearing capacity with a projected closure date of 2040, prompted King County to transition away from a linear 鈥渢hrowaway economy鈥� and divert more waste.
Waste Reduction
In 2023, King County launched Re+, an initiative aimed at cutting landfill waste by 70 percent by 2030, through the reduction of single-use items, improving recycling programs and renewing community engagement. A key component of this strategy is to understand and assess new technologies that can better capture and divert valuable, recyclable materials. Enter Juno庐 Technology, a breakthrough waste recovery technology capable of diverting up to 90 percent of the materials it processes away from landfills and incinerators. Developed by pulp and paper industry leader Georgia-Pacific, the first Juno facility is just five hours south of King County.
In early 2023, King County partnered with Juno to pilot their mixed waste processing facility and test how much of the recyclable material sent to landfills could be recovered. Juno庐 Technology uses a patented wet-separation process to sanitize and separate municipal solid waste (MSW), recovering valuable materials that standard recycling methods frequently overlook. The technology captures previously unrecoverable paper fibers in the waste stream, such as those from coated cups and contaminated packaging, while also capturing valuable recyclable metals and plastics that could be repurposed into new products.
Sorting and Processing
During the 10-week trial, King County sent about 740 tons of MSW from the Renton Recycling and Transfer Station to the Juno facility in Toledo, OR. After the material was shredded, baled, wrapped, and delivered to the Juno facility, the material underwent a heat and pressure treatment process to sanitize the waste. The sanitized materials were then sorted and recovered paper fiber was processed and removed to later be made into recycled paper products such as corrugated boxes. Sand and grit that could be used as aggregate, were filtered out, while ferrous metals, such as steel and cast iron, were extracted by industrial magnets to make new metal products. Non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum and copper, were also recovered.
Of the 737 tons processed at the Juno facility, Juno achieved diversion range of 38 percent to 58.2 percent, depending on the compilation of the load, with 342 tons diverted and recovered, including 18 percent paper fiber, 3 percent metals and 25 percent water/organics (food, wood, textiles and leather). About 395 tons (54 percent) of residuals was sent to Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, meaning nearly half of the waste processed was diverted into new material through Juno庐 Technology alone.
Higher Recovery Rates
The trial also revealed potential areas for growth among local governments and municipal customers. A considerable amount of construction and demolition materials were discovered, which are crucial to separate from waste processing. Construction and demolition materials were removed by Juno staff and added to the residual pile for the landfill, which likely impacted the potential for higher recovery rates in the trial鈥檚 data.
As the cost of waste volumes, permits, and operating facilities continue to rise, regulations governing waste management are becoming more complex. As a result, local governments and municipalities are seeking ways to reduce the amount of waste requiring disposal. These strategies aim to reclaim valuable materials from waste streams rather than pay to dispose of them. By increasing recycling and composting efforts, municipalities can reduce their waste disposal costs, recover valuable resources, and meet regulatory requirements.
Photos courtesy of Juno.
The outcomes of the trial demonstrate how Juno鈥檚 technology optimizes the sorting and separation of materials, leading to more effective waste diversion. When waste is diverted and properly managed, less waste ends up in landfills and incinerators, which has many environmental benefits including reducing harmful emissions and lowering the risk of contaminating groundwater.
The facility currently has an annual capacity of 60,000 to 70,000 tons, while operating on a schedule of four-days per week. Looking ahead, future Juno facilities will be capable of processing 330,000 tons of MSW per year using additional sorting equipment, increasing diversion rates up to 90 percent.
Looking to the Future
As King County looks to the future of waste management, the results from the Juno pilot underscore both the benefit and necessity of reducing landfill waste through increasing material recovery and diversion.
鈥淲e are really excited about the diversion potential of mixed waste processing technologies like Juno,鈥� said Pat D. McLaughlin, King County鈥檚 Solid Waste Division Director. 鈥淢ixed waste processing, alongside other waste reduction, prevention, and recycling initiatives, has the potential to be an important piece of our long-term plans to reduce the amount of garbage going to the landfill, and lower our carbon footprint here in King County.鈥�
Georgia-Pacific opened its initial pilot plant in Savannah, GA, in 2013, and its first commercial facility in Toledo, OR, in May 2021, where it continues to process local waste today. In its first year of operation, the Juno facility nearly tripled landfill diversion rates in Toledo, OR and expects to expand its footprint with facilities around the globe. | WA
Christer Henriksson is President of Juno, a Georgia-Pacific owned company. Prior to鈥痩eading the Juno team, he spent 12 years modernizing Georgia-Pacific鈥檚 recycling operations and leading the development of innovative recycling technologies.鈥疊efore joining Georgia-Pacific, Christer served as SVP and COO of鈥疉merican Fiber Resources International, a multi-recycled-pulp mill entity.鈥疌hrister can be reached at [email protected].
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