How Recycling Works

Recycling has taken over and for good reason too; we are running out of space on the planet. Sure, there are some uninhabitable lands that still have no industry attached to them, but they are typically too far away to dump our garbage. Even if they were accessible, deserts, rainforests and the arctic are really the last bastions of Mother Nature we have left on the planet and truly, they should be protected. 

Fortunately, recycling has advanced technologically so that almost all household waste can actually be reused somehow. Whether it is food that can be used for compost, or it is our scrap paper which becomes repurposed as toilet tissue, recycling items means that useful materials are not taking up valuable space in landfills. 

What’s the Big Deal?

Space is not the only reason recycling makes sense, although that is clearly one of the most important factors when considering a recycling programme. In landfills, when materials with the ability to decompose are underneath a massive amount of other items they create a gas. This methane gas is the natural result of the decomposition of materials – and there is a major difference when they have access to oxygen and when they do not. When these gases are trapped at the bottom of a landfill, they become more than just toxic, they become explosive.

Not only that, but why should easily reusable materials be stuck in a landfill taking up all that valuable space, which could be reserved for the few items that cannot be repurposed? Our water is recycled, why should other items we use on a daily basis be any different?

Businesses are doing their bit by incorporating recycled and recyclable packaging for the products we use. That is not just because they want to appear to be doing the right thing; it is because of the damaging impact garbage and landfills leave on the planet. And it is not just a problem for future generations, our garbage and the way it is handled can (and does) have an impact on the world we live in today. Industry has been able to effect a large scale change in the products and packaging we use on a daily basis, all we need to do is follow suit.

How Recycling Works

In the early days of recycling, when it still seemed a matter for Californian ex-hippies, very few materials were easily recycled. Much has changed over the years; now, at least two-thirds of all household waste is reusable in some way. How it is used varies from material to material, but almost all recycling follows the same path to their new form. It all begins (and ends) in your home.

Collection and Separation

Your home likely has some kind of container for recyclable materials and possibly more than one, depending on where you live. Any packaging which is recyclable will be marked in some way so you can determine whether it heads to the black bin or your recycling container. And then, once a week, that container makes its way to the curb where it is collected by municipal or recycling company employees.

From your house it is transported to a separation centre. There, recyclable materials are differentiated by their makeup and divided into segments requiring the same treatment. It is in these separation centres where the little 4 or the 7 in the middle of the recyclable symbol makes a difference.

Once separated, garbage items are bundled together using baling wire. Depending on the recycling centre, this is typically an automated process requiring industrial baling machines and either black annealed or galvanised formers. Although it sounds as though it would be a complicated process, the right systems and wiring renders it almost effortless. Once bundled, recyclable materials head off to central recycling centres. Here, your recyclables are joined by similar materials from all over the country. In some instances, materials may be sent to recycling centres overseas, which makes the bundling process and the baling wire used even more important. 

Here's how galvanised wire is manufactured: 

 

The Recycling Process

Once materials are exactly where they need to be for recycling, they are cut down into pieces.  This size reduction process helps with further processing. It also makes it easier for transport. In some instances this cutting process happens even before materials head over to their processing centre. Just as the baling process sounds intricate, the right blades can make all the difference on the size reduction floor. 

Smaller pieces are then taken for a wash; the idea to remove anything that cannot be recycled within the same process. For example, the label stuck on the bottle of your favourite soft drink was applied with glue, so even if you remove the label traces of the glue will remain. The washing process works to remove or loosen these items. After items are washed, they undergo an additional separation process which removes any foreign elements (such as traces of labels) from the batch.

From there, taking plastic as an example, the cut and cleaned pieces are pumped through a machine which heats them so they can be melted into a new shape. The pellets that are formed are the basis for recycled plastic products. These pellets are shipped out to factories across the country (and the world) for repurposing. So, once again, they need to be packaged, or bundled according to the specifications of the purchasing company. 

Baling machines and the correct wiring is again the name of the game, rendering them almost as important as the recycled materials themselves.  

Image Courtesy of D R Baling Wire Manufacturers

Your Involvement

As the man or woman on the street, you do not need to worry about baling machines and blades that can cut plastic. All you need to do is make use of the recycling container issued by the municipality.  And, as you now know, you don’t have to scrub off the glue from each and every bottle or can. The recycling centres take care of most of the difficult work.

It is more important to make sure you opt for packaging which is recyclable (and almost every major retailer is concerned about this as well). And, once you are done with items, check whether they can be recycled. If they can, then it is important to dispose of them properly rather than allowing items to take up space in landfills. After that, it is a simple matter of taking your recycling container to the curb on the right day of the week. 

Fortunately, recycling has come a long way from its roots and has become easy. All you need to do is separate your waste before you take it to the curb; everything else is done for you.