9. Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility

The Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility (MRF), operated by Sims Municipal Recycling, is the principal processing center for more than 20,000 tons per month of metal, glass, and plastic recyclables collected by the NYC Department of Sanitation. If you live in the five boroughs and recycle, odds are this facility is where your discards come to be sorted before being shipped out as raw commodities for manufacturing.

Located on an 11-acre waterfront pier, this recycling center has received widespread praise and multiple awards for its design by Selldorf Architects since opening in 2013. Made almost entirely from recycled steel, the facility is built with the public in mind and features an Education Center with interactive exhibits and a viewing platform that allows visitors to see the vast processing system at work, featuring more than $25 million in state-of-the-art equipment.

Spend time on the spacious patio to see the lush stormwater-capturing bioswales, native plantings, and stunning view of the Manhattan skyline. Featuring barge transport, advanced optical sorting cameras, and NYC’s first commercial-scale wind turbine, this site boasts the most modern and sophisticated recycling facility in the US.

The Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility will be open from 2 to 6 PM on Saturday, October 13th.