New Jersey recovery facility plays into service provider's waste-by-rail system
5/5/2025
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
Interstate Waste Services Inc. (IWS) recently opened a $30 million materials recovery facility (MRF) in North Arlington, New Jersey, that will transport waste to Ohio by rail.
The MRF is designed to process 215,000 tons of recyclable materials annually, according to IWS, which provides solid waste collection, recycling and disposal services. The facility will receive materials from the five boroughs of New York City.
IWS is one of the largest transporters of waste by rail, according to the company. The waste-by-rail system significantly reduces the company’s dependence on long-haul truck transportation and the number of trucks hauling waste on roads, IWS officials say.
The company operates three unit-train facilities in Newark, Kearny and Bridgewater, New Jersey, and two gondola operation facilities in Danbury, Connecticut, and Brunswick, New Jersey. The waste-by-rail network connects the Northeast region to IWS’ Apex Landfill in Amsterdam, Ohio.
The company’s fleet of 1,000 rail cars and 2,900 containers enable IWS to transport nearly 2.5 million tons of materials annually. The waste-by-rail system helps take 300 long-haul trucks off roads each day and reduces greenhouse-gas emissions by 3,200 metric tons annually, IWS estimates.
IWS’ waste-by-rail system helps take 300 long-haul trucks off roads each day. Interstate Waste Services Inc.The North Arlington MRF will build on those favorable impacts by increasing material recovery and providing municipalities and businesses with the necessary infrastructure to meet recycling targets, company officials said in a press release.
Residual waste from the MRF will be transported via a unit-train service provided by Norfolk Southern Railway in collaboration with Conrail and Ohio Central Railroad (OHC), says IWS Director of Marketing Abby Fleissner. Owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc., the 71-mile OHC operates between Brewster and Zanesville, Ohio, and interchanges with NS, CSX, the Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road, Ohio Southern Railroad and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co.
“Outbound recycled commodities are generally sold to international buyers and moved via truck to local ports,” says Fleissner. “Domestic buyers tend to be regional and are served by third-party truck lines.”
The MRF also features an automated Machinex sorting system that includes artificial intelligence-powered robotics, mechanical ballistic screening, magnetic separation, optical sorters, air classification and a dedicated glass clean-up system.
Owned by IWS, New Jersey Rail Carriers LLC recently gained more track in Kearny, New Jersey, to increase its rail-car capacity from 149 cars to 241 cars.Interstate Waste Services Inc.IWS also recently added and upgraded rail infrastructure in Kearny, New Jersey, for its short line, New Jersey Rail Carriers LLC (NJRC). The state of New Jersey provided NJRC a $6.4 million Rail Freight Assistance Program grant in fiscal-year 2023 for the project.
The work — which wrapped up in March — involved expanding track from 13,000 feet to 21,000 feet to increase total rail-car capacity from 149 cars to 241 cars. The contractor for the project was Tracks Unlimited LLC, which is based in Mountainside, New Jersey.
The project called for building four new tracks along the mainline featuring new rail, ties and ballast; extending six yard tracks to accommodate increased traffic; removing locomotive staging tracks and rebuilding the tracks with new materials; and paving around the newly constructed tracks and loading zones.
NJRC recently purchased a new Hyster reach stacker to bolster the rail equipment fleet and to move containers. IWS plans to purchase a second reach stacker for the short line in the coming months.
NJRC is serviced by Conrail, averages 62 loaded rail cars per day, operates unit train service four days per week and interchanges with CSX and NS.
Meanwhile, Annandale Millwork/Allied Systems recently opened a new manufacturing facility in Salem, New Jersey, that will be served by SMS Rail Service Inc., which also interchanges with CSX and NS.
A custom and stock millwork provider, Annandale Millwork/Allied Systems worked with the short line and Mannington Mills Inc. to establish the facility, using available manufacturing infrastructure at a Mannington Mills plant.
SMS Rail Service operates 19 miles of track from Swedesboro, New Jersey, to the Port of Salem in Salem City, New Jersey.
