The unexpected organization and cleanliness of the Recycling MRF at WM’s Sage Street Transfer Station in Reno, NV, may take any new visitor by surprise. Built in 1982, the facility stretches to approximately 34,000 square feet and has a monthly processing capacity of 800 tons. As a plant receiving cardboard and several paper grades from all over Nevada, it’s natural to imagine unorderly piles of waste all over the place, waiting to be baled and sent elsewhere. Yet, contrasting that assumption, Abelino is the one clocking in every morning to make sure the facility runs impeccably.

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You have to be focused on everything inside the building or everybody. You don’t know when people will show up (…) you have to see like 360.

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“He is self-motivated. He comes to work in the morning (…), goes about his day, and stays on top of everything. I think it is a huge benefit for WM to have an employee who is able to focus on so many different things at once,” acknowledged Michal “Mickey” Eckman, manager at the MRF.

Abelino has dedicated 28 years of service to WM. He operates the MRF facility single-handedly, performing tasks such as baling new materials, re-baling, and keeping up on various grades of paper disposed at the plant. Those tasks, sometimes oversimplified by new operators, require a certain orchestral rhythm, constantly controlling the tempo, a skill set known only by seasoned conductors.

“When he trains new operators, they come over, and they are like: ‘Oh, this will be easy,’ and it is quite a lot harder to get in the rhythm and habit of it,” says Eckman.

Growing with WM

The Recycling MRF at Sage Street Transfer Station has undergone many changes in the past decades. Before the Eco-Center was built down the road, the facility managed all the area’s recyclables with a rudimentary sort line which was progressively improved with new machinery and staffed with more employees to meet the needs of a new solid waste management era. Whether working the old demands of the job or handling the latest technology, Abelino has welcomed, championed, and adapted himself to keep up with the company’s growth.

“We had a second baler, a second sort line. The sort line was very high-tech. It consisted of a conveyor belt and four hands. We actually had eight employees working here on two shifts. We were doing a lot of different things. Every time we continue to develop, adjust, and grow our operations, (…) changing things, depending on how it’s impacted by the commodities market or what other facilities are doing, Abelino has led us in that adaption to change. Change can be scary and very uncomfortable. I am sure it has been for him (…), but he writes his own path forward to benefit us and the site,” concludes Eckman.

Though most of the operation has changed, Abelino is still in charge of processing seven to eight tons of material per month while safely operating around loading trucks and the public.

“You have to be focused on everything inside the building or everybody. You don’t know when people will show up (…) you have to see like 360 [around the building],” commented Abelino.

For the coming new operators, he leaves a piece of advice. “Be focused on everything [you] are doing. You need to be alert every time and practice every day.”

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