News 12 got to check out Rockland Green's upgraded Materials Recovery Facility on Torne Valley Road in Hillburn on Wednesday.

It is now able to process upward of 40 tons of material per hour.

The older operation could process about 20 tons per hour.

Executive director Gerard Damiani says the new improvements are expected to cut costs and boost revenue.

"This is the quickest way to reduce our costs and our dependency on the traditional, long haul, landfill model, which we all recognize is not sustainable." said Damiani. "It's not cost-effective."

There is new modern technology being used called optical sorting that can sort different materials then workers pick out what it missed.

The technology helps improve the overall quality of the final recycled product that will ultimately be bought and reused.

There's also 15,000 more square feet, improvements to other areas of the facility and new fire prevention technology.

Rockland Green, which manages the facility, joined local politicians for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the end of the three-year project.

The waste management authority hopes to focus next on food scraps.