Debris from a June fire has been cleared away at the Rivers Recycling facility in Kilgore on FM 1252 as shown Aug. 9. (Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal File Photo)

Competition for East Texas cities’ recyclable goods is heating up.

A new recycling facility capable of processing up to 20 tons of material per hour recently opened in Kilgore. Meanwhile, Rivers Recycling, which burned down this past summer, is expected to reopen by November also in Kilgore with expanded capacity to process 15 tons of material per hour.

Leaders of Northeast Texas Regional MRF, an abbreviation of “materials recovery facility,” announced the facility’s opening earlier this month.

Rivers previously was only the recycling center for municipalities in the region.

Both companies said they’re hoping to strike deals with city governments and trash-hauling companies that collect paper, plastic, cardboard and more from residents as part of curbside recycling programs. They also hope to work out contracts with businesses.

The facilities are not open to the public, but leaders of both said they plan to host open houses to allow residents to watch the recycling process in action. Both companies also said they have made “significant” investments in their respective facilities.

“We just felt like there was a need for future growth in this area to have a type of facility that we built,” said Todd Lucas, general manager and co-owner of Northeast Texas Regional MRF.

Rivers Recycling

Rivers burned in June, causing cities in East Texas to pause their recycling programs for residents. The plant provided services to the cities of Tyler, Kilgore, Longview, Bullard, Whitehouse, and White Oak as well as several commercial clients between Dallas and Shreveport.

While the fire destroyed Rivers’ facility at 298 FM 1252 W, it also cleared the way for the company to rebuild with more efficient sorting equipment and processes.

CEO Jeff Craine said Monday that the company’s new facility will be “state-of-the-art.” It’ll use optical technology to sort materials, advanced screens for separating paper, recycling machines that separate metal using magnetic fields and more.

The facility previously was able to process 5 tons of material per hour, but it’ll be able to process 15 tons when reopened, Craine said. He said there are “new opportunities opening up all the time” to serve municipalities and businesses. The company also will be able to process grades of plastic that it was unable to process previously, reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.

Rivers leaders are finalizing their plans for a new building, Craine said. The company has active contracts and “great relationships” with its municipal customers.

“We’re just excited to educate and be a part of public awareness,” he said. “Moving forward, we’re going to be holding open houses and things of that nature for not only municipalities, but for the public as well on certain days.”

Craine said the company will provide additional information about its reopening plans soon.

Northeast Texas Regional MRF

Northeast Texas Regional MRF was formed in 2024 by Lucas, Randy Childress and John Hines. The trio’s Kilgore facility is the first they’ve opened, but they plan to expand and open plants in West Texas in the future.

Northeast Texas Regional MRF has contracts with the City of Tyler and trash-hauler Waste Connections to collect material, Lucas said. Lucas said he is talking with City of Longview officials about the facility and hopes the city can begin bringing materials there within the next two weeks.

The recycling center operates in a 50,000-square-foot building at 2306 U.S. 259-Business. In a statement announcing the facility’s opening, company leaders said the facility will use “cutting-edge mechanical sorting technology that can efficiently process a wide range of materials, including paper, plastics, aluminum, and cardboard.”

“With its single-stream recycling system, residents and businesses can place all recyclables into a single bin, simplifying the process and encouraging greater participation in recycling efforts,” the company said.

Lucas said the facility is designed to handle future growth in recyclable materials.