While clear glass is made of silica, limestone, and soda ash, there is also colored glass that cannot be melted down with the clear glass. Colored glass needs additives like iron and sulfur and dyes that make it blue, green, brown, etc. Colored glass has to be processed in each color due to the dyes and additives. Workers or camera systems sort the smaller pieces of glass into these different colors.
This fine glass is known as glass cullet. It is melted at a low temperature in order to be poured or molded into new glass items. Aluminum is put into shredders that chop it into small pieces that are easy to melt. Those molds end up in manufacturing plants where they are turned into aluminum sheets and reused for different products. An aluminum sheet may be turned into beer or soda cans. It might be turned into products like decorative or DMV-issued license plates, aluminum foil, or pie plates.
This leaves plastic. Plastics come in several types depending on the resin used to create that item:. How can all of these different plastics get sorted? Some plants use workers to check each item and sort it by number. Newer plants have infrared sensors that use light to determine the type of plastic and sort them based on that information. Some plastics are not worth recycling and go into the trash instead. Styrofoam is one of them. PVC has to be converted into a powder at specialty plants due to the toxins it releases if it is melted down.
Other plastics are melted down and turned into new items like clothing, carpet fibers, water bottles, soda bottles, etc. The more that gets recycled responsibly, the better it is for the planet. You may be able to recycle more than you realize.
Requirements : Ability to perform physical requirements of the job prolonged physical exertions, including standing. Exhibit the ability to distinguish between various recyclable materials, compost and trash. Self-starter, aggressive work ethic and ability to work with minimal supervision. Safety conscious. Ability to work in various conditions with some exposure to weather elements. Good verbal communication skills to be able to communicate effectively and professionally with other personnel and management.
Keep throwing those cans in your recycling bin! Once all of the items are separated, they are baled put together in like piles and shipped, both domestically and internationally, to companies to make new packaging and products, completing the recycling life cycle.
There it is, the entire recycling system in a nutshell, well, almost. There is one part of the process we did not cover — you! Ultimately, you are the first and arguably most important step in the recycling process. Without you tossing those discarded materials in the recycling bin, there would be no material to sort. This makes it critical that you know what to throw, in order to make the system work. If the wrong materials enter the recycling system, they can damage equipment, harm workers, and cause an entire shipment to be rejected, wasting the energy and time that went into sorting and transporting them.
Check your recycling knowledge on our online quiz. It's All You is now Communities for Recycling. Join the movement to recycle in your community.
Recycling — How It Works Share:. Weighing and Tipping Before any of the material enters the facility, it is weighed. Glass A Density Separator removes glass from the stream by vibrating it through fine metal screens, then knocking it out with air knives or strong puffs of air which does not sound nearly as cool.
Aluminum Aluminum, which is unlike steel and tin, is separated from other recyclables using a technology called the eddy current. Know What to Throw Aluminum cans are one of the most valuable material we recycle and has the highest level of recyclability — which means it can be recycled over and over forever. Bailing and Shipping Once all of the items are separated, they are baled put together in like piles and shipped, both domestically and internationally, to companies to make new packaging and products, completing the recycling life cycle.
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