Can someone explain to me the process in a recycling center?

Question

I am very curious as I recycle just about everything I can. I know that soda bottle lids are not recyclable, so I always toss those, rinse out the bottle and throw into my recycle bin. However, what if I inadvertently leave a lid on that goes into the recycle center? Will they bother to stop and remove the lid? Or, do they just toss it? Also, I bring my recyclables to a sort of one-stop, self serve center where there are just big bins in which to place the different items (plastic, glass, paper, cardboard). There is a sign for plastic that reads plastic bottles only. So, what happens if I throw in an empty juice container or an empty bottle of detergent? Will they recycle those? I am just interested in the basics of what goes on "behind closed doors" and if some of my recycling efforts are in vein.

Answer 1

I would suggest you take a tour of your local recycling plant.

There are lots of websites out there that explain recycling.  i.e.:

Acceptable items for recycling:

• White and colored paper (whole or shredded, smooth or glossy)

• Paper with staples, post-it notes, tape or paper clips

• Newspaper

• Phone books

• "Junk" mail, envelopes, magazines

• Soft-bound books (entire book) and hard-bound books (inside only, no cover)

• File folders

• Cardboard (flattened)

• Aluminum cans

• Plastic bottles (#1 to #7 - check number on bottom of bottle)

• Plastic medicine bottles (empty)

• Glass bottles

• Aerosol containers

• Tin cans

The following items are NOT acceptable for recycling:

• Food

• Food-stained paper items

• Toilet and facial tissues

• Used paper towels

• Styrofoam

• Medical waste, including needles/syringes

• Tyvec envelopes

• Non-numbered plastics

• Plastic dry-cleaning bags

• Household chemicals

• Bubble wrap

• Padded envelopes

• Green waste

• Dishware

• Oil

• Clothes

• Wax-coated materials(such as soft-drink paper cups)

Answer 2

When you drop your recycling off to a drop-off center, that is usually the first step on the path of where the material goes.  Usually the material is separated into commodities (plastic, glass, metal) or even more specific than that:  #1-PETE, #2-HDPE, steel, aluminum, glass,etc.

If the center you are using is a community drop off, then the material is transported to a processing center which consolidates and separates, by marketable materials, those commodities manufacturers are looking for.  One of the things to keep in mind is that when you are dealing with recyclable materials there is some "margin for contamination".  So if your cap or juice container or detergent bottle go into the recycling bin, don't sweat it.  Large amounts may be an issue...but occasional onsies here and there are no big deal.

Something that many people aren't aware of is that recycling  markets (and plastic in particular) are very cyclical.  It's possible that the discards (contamination like the caps, etc.) can actually be marketed some months.  It depends on what's needed at the time.  However, there is always some portion of material that is either too contaminated or just not something there is a market for, that will wind up in a landfill.  However, this tends to be under 5% so the vast majority is getting reused/recycled into new products or materials.

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

The bins should be labeled better since there are many grades of plastic #1 and #2 being the most able to be recycled. The different 'piles' of materials will either be gone through to make sure there are no 'unwanted' items in the mix and then usually baled or crushed to make shipping more practicle. In general the more the items are sorted out the better they are able to be reused. I have heard of large loads being thrown away due to contamination, no one wants the product, no room to store the product or the value of the product isn't worth the shipping costs. I hope this helps. Also, Plastic soda type bottles are usually #1, juice bottles are usually also #1 and detergent type bottles are usually #2 colored.

Answer 4

Most of the recyclers in this area bring there product to 2 area sorting centers where they are run over a conveyor system with pickers to separate all of the products, and then baled for shipment to a processing center for reuse.