Waste Management Inc. already has a one-stop shop in Northeast Minneapolis for such common recyclables as paper, glass, plastics and cans.

Now, it’s added a similar operation next door, this one for such varied products as discarded computers, televisions, appliances, fluorescent bulbs, batteries and used needles, or “sharps.”

“Anything from A to Z,” said Tom Powers, operations director for Waste Management’s product recovery group. “That is what this facility is designed to do.”

The operation, the first of its type for the national garbage collector and recycler, the state’s largest, consolidates some existing recycling operations for electronics and appliances, as well as a mail-back depot for other home-generated materials. Aimed at improving efficiency and flexibility and capturing as much material as possible, it could be a prototype for other recyclers, who often specialize in what they handle.

“This is an interesting development,” said Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Paul Aasen. “It should keep less stuff from slipping through the cracks.”

Part of the operation includes refurbishing items, such as computers, for future use, instead of simply recycling them.

“This facility is just another example of recycling being good business,” said Paul Gardner, a recycling consultant and former state legislator. “They are looking at extracting more material out of stuff that niche players used to do.”

The warehouse, next to a much larger building where traditional recyclables are handled, is divided into different areas: one place for computers, including laptops; another for appliances and another for televisions.

Many of those products are made up of common materials, whether they be copper, aluminum or lead. Collected separately, they can be pooled under one roof and shipped out together.

There’s also a separate spot for the mail-back operation, which the company began several years ago to help people and businesses safely mail such highly regulated products as mercury-containing fluorescent bulbs when there’s no other convenient local option. It’s available at thinkgreenfromhome.com.

Work got going several months ago and is picking up, according to Matthew Coz, vice president of Waste Management’s product recovery group.

“We’re just now getting into full operation,” Coz said.

The fact that Waste Management is broadening its recycling reach not only should salvage more materials, but also is regarded as a step forward for the industry.

“I think the big thing that’s happening is the effort to recover more and more resources,” said Mike Robertson, environmental policy consultant to the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

“What you see in that facility is a major recycler has determined it can recover more and that it will work as a business. You look around that facility and so much of that waste has previously gone into landfills. The concept there is everything gets reused and recycled in some fashion, and only a small amount is going to disposal. It’s refined down to a point where it’s really exciting. These valuable resources are going to get back into products at some point.”

Dennis Lien can be reached at 651-228-5588.