recycle right.
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Grades 8-12
Tutorial 4. Complete the Recycling Circle
Objective: Find recycled content products in your home and visit a store that sells recycled products.
Through these Recycle Right tutorials, you should have an idea of your current diversion rate (how much waste your household diverts from the landfill), have identified contamination in your blue bin, set up one-to-one recycling stations throughout your house and come up with a plan to keep your household on track. All of the challenges so far have focused on recycling at your household, but have you given much thought to where your waste goes after it’s picked up by the Waste Management trucks?
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Each truck has a particular destination based on the type of waste they’re hauling; the green waste is delivered to a compost facility, the landfill waste eventually ends up in a landfill, and the recyclable materials are delivered to a Material Recovery Facility, or MRF. From the MRF, materials are shipped to recycling plants across the globe where they are produced into recycled products.
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Sorting Mixed Recyclables
Let’s take a closer look at how recyclable materials are processed at the MRF.
Let’s take a closer look at how recyclable materials are processed at the MRF.
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The commingled recyclables are placed on large conveyor belts that weave through a maze of sorting stations, where each type of recyclable is separated using state-of-the-art technology. These sophisticated machines have digital eyes that detect and sort different types of plastics, revolving discs that separate cardboard, and strong magnets that attract steel cans, just to name a few. Glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, steel, and aluminum all pass through together and come out neatly separated. As materials speed past on the conveyor belts, Waste Management employees survey and manually remove any contamination. To view a short video showing how a MRF processes recyclables, visit the Resources page.
Once the recycling is properly sorted, each type of material is compressed into tight cubes, called bales, and then goes on a separate journey to a processing plant that makes the materials into new products. |
Plastics
From the MRF, plastic bales are shipped to a recycling processing facility. Most of these facilities are located outside of the United States. At the plastic recycling plant, the plastic is washed to remove trash and debris, bottle caps, and the labels. Then the plastic is ground up into cornflake-sized pieces, melted, and then formed into small pellets. From there, the pellets are sold to manufacturers and are ready to be made into new bottles, tools, carpets and clothing, among other things. To watch a video of a plastic bottle recycling plant in Southern California, visit the Resources page.
From the MRF, plastic bales are shipped to a recycling processing facility. Most of these facilities are located outside of the United States. At the plastic recycling plant, the plastic is washed to remove trash and debris, bottle caps, and the labels. Then the plastic is ground up into cornflake-sized pieces, melted, and then formed into small pellets. From there, the pellets are sold to manufacturers and are ready to be made into new bottles, tools, carpets and clothing, among other things. To watch a video of a plastic bottle recycling plant in Southern California, visit the Resources page.
Paper and Cardboard
Paper and cardboard bales get shipped to a paper recycling mill, where it is sorted again. Next, the paper is mixed with water and broken down into very small fibers, cleaned and then added to a large vat to create a thick slurry. The slurry mixture is spread onto a conveyor belt where it dries. Once dried, it moves through machinery that flattens it and creates large rolls of new paper. Today, almost every newspaper you read is made from 100% recycled paper.
Paper and cardboard bales get shipped to a paper recycling mill, where it is sorted again. Next, the paper is mixed with water and broken down into very small fibers, cleaned and then added to a large vat to create a thick slurry. The slurry mixture is spread onto a conveyor belt where it dries. Once dried, it moves through machinery that flattens it and creates large rolls of new paper. Today, almost every newspaper you read is made from 100% recycled paper.
Aluminum
When aluminum bales arrive at the processing plant, they are first fed into a shredder, then the shredded materials undergo further sorting to remove contamination like plastics, glass, and steel. Like the original sorting machines at the MRF, the aluminum processing plant uses state-of-the-art technology like optical sorters that use infrared sensors, machines that blast away plastics and glass with jets of air, and magnets that attract steel bits. Then the aluminum shreds are melted down into a liquid, which is poured into a mold and then cooled. These large aluminum blocks are then shipped to plants to become aluminum cans once again. To watch how aluminum cans are recycled, visit the Resources page.
When aluminum bales arrive at the processing plant, they are first fed into a shredder, then the shredded materials undergo further sorting to remove contamination like plastics, glass, and steel. Like the original sorting machines at the MRF, the aluminum processing plant uses state-of-the-art technology like optical sorters that use infrared sensors, machines that blast away plastics and glass with jets of air, and magnets that attract steel bits. Then the aluminum shreds are melted down into a liquid, which is poured into a mold and then cooled. These large aluminum blocks are then shipped to plants to become aluminum cans once again. To watch how aluminum cans are recycled, visit the Resources page.
Glass
The first step in processing glass at the recycling plant is the same as the other materials - removing contaminants like plastic and aluminum, labels and bottle caps. Then the glass is then crushed into tiny shards called cullet and separated into colors: white, green, and brown. From there, the cullet is sold to glass manufacturers where it is turned into new glass products. The process includes adding additional ingredients to the cullet like sand, soda ash, and limestone, then all of the materials are melted inside a furnace into a liquid. The liquid is then formed into new glass containers like bottles and jars.
The first step in processing glass at the recycling plant is the same as the other materials - removing contaminants like plastic and aluminum, labels and bottle caps. Then the glass is then crushed into tiny shards called cullet and separated into colors: white, green, and brown. From there, the cullet is sold to glass manufacturers where it is turned into new glass products. The process includes adding additional ingredients to the cullet like sand, soda ash, and limestone, then all of the materials are melted inside a furnace into a liquid. The liquid is then formed into new glass containers like bottles and jars.
A Full Circle Journey
In order for these recyclable materials to come full circle on their journey, everyone needs to do their part. Of course this means recycling plastics, cardboard, bottles and cans all the time, whether you’re at home, in your community, or at school. But to come full circle, you must also make the decision to buy products that are made from or packaged in recycled materials when you shop.
As you can see, the journey starts and ends with you. You and your family are the ones making responsible and important decisions and taking actions to improve our environment and reduce the amount of natural resources being taken from our earth.
In order for these recyclable materials to come full circle on their journey, everyone needs to do their part. Of course this means recycling plastics, cardboard, bottles and cans all the time, whether you’re at home, in your community, or at school. But to come full circle, you must also make the decision to buy products that are made from or packaged in recycled materials when you shop.
As you can see, the journey starts and ends with you. You and your family are the ones making responsible and important decisions and taking actions to improve our environment and reduce the amount of natural resources being taken from our earth.
Tutorial Challenge
- Survey your home inside and out and look for items that are made with recycled content. You might find recycled paper in your room or home office, or plastic furniture on your patio. Read a few clothing labels or paper towel packages to see if they contain recycled materials. How many items did you find that are made of recycled content?
- Find a store located in Oceanside that specializes in selling products with recycled content. What store is it and what is their specialty product?
