【31】 What closes the recycling loop?

Presenter: Have you ever wondered where your recyclables end up after they get picked up from the curb, after you’ve left them at a recycling drop-off centre or when your hauler has come to empty your recycling dumpster? Well, this presentation will tell you.
    The story begins when a resident places their materials out for recycling in a special bin, brings their recyclables to one of the recycling drop-off centres or when a business puts their used materials in their recycling dumpster. It is very important that residents and employees properly prepare their recyclables for collection. Improper preparation of materials, for example not removing container lids or including the wrong type of material causes contamination. Although some contamination is to be expected--and is removed during the sorting process at the processing facility--processors may not accept materials that are heavily contaminated and these will be disposed of.
    After materials are put out for recycling, the recycling truck comes to pick them up. Recyclables brought to the drop-off centres should be placed in the appropriate bins. The large containers are emptied periodically or whenever they are full. Businesses and multi-family residences collect on the days decided by the property manager.
    The trucks that collect recyclables from the curb and drop-off centres then drive the materials to a material recovery facility--or MRF. When the trucks arrive at the MRF, they are first weighed at the station to determine the weight of materials delivered to the facility. Next, the trucks proceed to the tipping floor where they dump their materials. Items are dumped in specific areas to facilitate the sorting process.
    After the different materials are dumped on the tipping floor at the MRF, they are fed onto different conveyor belts according to the type of material. The materials then proceed up the different conveyor belts and are subject to both manual and automatic sorting. Individuals manually remove any large objects such as a lawn chair or garbage can, along with any contaminants. After the initial manual sort, the materials pass by a magnet that captures the metal cans, and then through an air sorter to separate the remaining materials. Once the materials are sorted, they are compressed into bales that are shipped to processors, who will then use these materials to create new products. Plastics can be recycled into items such as clothing, lumber, park benches, and playground equipment. Metal and glass containers are often recycled into new containers, and paper is recycled into new paper products, such as copy paper, toilet paper, napkins, and newspaper.
    Remember to close the recycling loop: buy recycled both at home and at work, as this is the only way that recycling truly succeeds. Find out more about buying recycled products. Remember: if you’re not buying recycled, you’re not really recycling!
    So, how are we doing? Let’s take a brief look at our recycling rate information. All municipalities are required to maintain a minimum recycling rate of 25% of the total municipal solid waste generated annually. We are required to annually report on recycling activities and file a report with the Department of Environmental Quality--or DEQ. These reports are due to the DEQ on April 30th of each year for the preceding calendar year. Based on information received to date, last year we reported a recycling rate of 33.9%, 2.8% higher than the previous year. Paper recycling was up 36% as was the recycling of bottles and cans. Our target is a recycling rate of over 50% by 2014.