Portland recycling company ecomaine will break ground this week on a $36 million expansion that will substantially increase its capacity, allowing it to bring on more member communities.

When complete next year, the facility on Blueberry Road will process up to 25 tons per hour, an increase of more than 66% over its current capacity, a press release said this week.

The new facility will be built at the former site of home furnishings company Sturbridge Yankee Workshop across the street from the current recycling plant. According to the press release, the 55,000-square-foot space will be renovated with an 11,000 square foot addition and new recycling equipment, including optical sorters capable of processing more than 1,000 items per minute.

The release called it “the most significant investment in recycling infrastructure in the organization’s history,” ahead of a Thursday groundbreaking ceremony at the site.

The municipally owned ecomaine serves more than 70 communities with recycling, waste-to-energy and landfill operations. Some are owner-members while others contract with the company for waste services.

When it opened at its current location in 2006, ecomaine was the state’s first single-sort recycling facility. It currently employs 75 people.