Zero Waste to rebuild in Rochester after securing financing

Jan 19, 2018

Zero Waste Solutions is back in business in Rochester—and giving residents first priority in hiring before it opens in the fall.

Construction on the 100,000 square-foot recycling facility will go ahead after the company secured financing late last year, CEO Mike Camara said.

Construction on the original plant begin in 2013, but a disastrous fire in May of 2016 put a halt to building plans. The fire began in the trash section of the plant, leaving a hole in the roof.

The blaze extinguished hopes of having the facility up and running in the near future, Camara said to Rochester’s Planning Board in November of last year—and to make it worse, he hadn't managed to find more funding, though he was working with one bank to secure money.

Now though, the funding has now come through.

"It's done and the plans are moving forward," Camara said.

He noted that he has submitted a timeline to Rochester's Planning Board as requested.

The Zero Waste facility will convert solid waste into small fuel briquettes (called “EcoTac”) which burn similarly to coal, but in a cleaner manner.

Municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, single-stream recyclables electronic products and more will be delivered to the site.

"It's going to a be a very technologically advanced facility," Camara explained, adding that it will also be "green." Solar panels are planned for the roof, and Camara said that the plan is for the facility to—eventually—process 95 percent of the trash it receives.

"The state average for processing is thirty-six percent," he added. "It's a big leap forwards, once we get there."

Page Building Corporation of Stoughton will begin construction of the new facility and, in July, CP Group of San Diego, California, will begin installing the recycling equipment.