Explanation of the Recycling Process

At Home

• The first step in recycling is to sort the recyclable materials from the items that have to go to the landfill. Check with your local sanitation department for a complete list of recyclable materials. Your local sanitation department may require you to also sort these materials into types, such as paper and glass. Place these items in the designated pick-up area, or take them directly to the recycling center for processing.

Recycling Center

• At the recycling center, recyclers divide the materials into subgroups. For example, recyclers separate newspaper from boxboard, and they separate glass by color. Recyclers will recycle some products at the recycling center and send other products to other facilities. Each type of item goes through a different process to break it down and recreate it as a new product. For instance, recyclers shred and melt down aluminum cans, then send the cans through screens to remove any contaminants.

On the Shelf

• After each recyclable material has gone through its complete process, recyclers send it to different facilities to be turned into food packaging, newspapers, tissue, notebooks and even markers for children. Many items in stores today reflect how much of the packaging is made up of recycled materials. Even though these items have been recycled once, they can be recycled again and again. Recycling is one of the ways to reduce consumption of Earth's resources.

Recyclables

• The most basic items that are recyclable are paper, aluminum cans, glass, plastic containers and tin cans. You can't recycle all types of plastic, glass and cardboard. Many other things can also be recycled, such as motor oil and batteries. The recycling processes for these items are very specific. Contact the local sanitation department for instructions on how to recycle items such as motor oil.