We all know that recycling is an important part of taking care of the environment. It preserves resources, saves energy, and keeps garbage out of our seas and landfills. But recycling isn't necessarily a smooth process... in fact, some reports have shown that the effort you put into recycling occasionally goes to waste, and that some of what you toss in the recycling bin ends up in landfills on the other side of the world.
Fortunately, the recycling process is getting better and better all the time, and these sorts of problems arise less and less often. But even as processes are improving, it's important to understand where what you recycle goes and what it becomes. Because that is the best way to see how important it is to make the extra effort to recycle.
How those plastic Coke bottles, Internet dating flyers, and old tomato soup cans are recycled (and what they become) will vary depending on where you do your recycling. But in general, recycled items of a certain material are dealt with in a similar way.
Paper
Did you know that not all types of paper are recyclable? While most recycling firms take pretty much any kind of paper, most won't accept brown envelopes or phone books. Why? Because the amount of ink makes them difficult to wash clean. But if you worry occasionally about tossing in those business envelopes with clear plastic windows, don't-- recycling plants don't have a problem dealing with these.
When paper items arrive at a recycling plant, they are washed. Any paper is combined with hot water and soap. Then it is separated into separate paper fibers for use in more paper. It's interesting to note that paper can be recycled again and again. Any single fiber of paper can be recycled 6 or 7 times before it becomes unusable.
Glass
Though it varies from recycling facility to recycling facility, glass is generally sorted into different colored piles (in some countries you sort the glass yourself), where it is then crushed into small glass pellets, which are called cullet. The cullet is heated up to about 2750 degrees Fahrenheit, the point at which it melts. The melted glass is like new; it is poured into molds to make new jars and bottles, and sold to food and beverage companies.
Cans
When you buy cans of food or beverages, most of those cans are made of either aluminum or of steel and tin. When cans arrive at the plant for recycling, the first thing that needs to happen is a separation of the metal. Using a large magnet, the steel is separated from the other metals. Then all of the steel, tin, and aluminum is shredded and put into bales.
These bales of metal are essentially raw material, and are sold to different industries that may use them, such as companies that create steel bars for building construction, or beverage companies looking to make new soda cans. Oftentimes, the metal in your recycled can of peas or can of Sprite will go on to be sold overseas.
