The Recycling Process: From Collection To Final Product

 


By Ruth Irimonre

We all talk about recycling, but do you ever wonder what becomes of your garbage when you throw it into the recycling bin? It does not magically disappear, there is a whole process involved in utilizing old to create something new. Let us de-mystify it in a simple, relatable way.


Step 1: Collection: Where It All Starts
It all starts when you toss your soda can, discarded newspaper, or plastic bottle in the recycling can. Waste collection personnel pick it up and bring it to a recycling facility.
Fun fact: All that you think can be recycled cannot be. Greasy pizza boxes and certain plastics are examples of such materials. They cannot be properly sorted. It is for this reason that they need to be sorted properly.

Step 2: Sorting: The Cleanup Crew Gets to Work
The recycling plant sort everything by material — paper, plastic, glass, and metal. Workers sort them out using machines so only the right material goes on.
Why sort things? Because they treat different materials differently, and one contaminated piece (like a food-stained can) will ruin an entire load.

Step 3: Processing: Breaking It All Down

Now for the scientific part, each material is processed differently:
Plastic is melted and reformed.
Glass is crushed into tiny pieces (referred to as cullet) and melted to produce new glass items.
Paper is treated with chemicals and water to turn it into pulp, which is dried and reformed into new paper.

Metal is shredded and melted to be melted down and reused to create new cans, car parts, or even household appliances.

Step 4: Manufacturing: Making It New
After being taken apart, those recyclable used materials are shipped to manufacturers who rebuild them into brand-new goods. That recycled can of soda you put out, it may come back to you as a new can in just 60 days. Your recycled newspapers? They can become toilet paper or packaging supplies.

Step 5: Back to You: The Cycle Repeats
Lastly, we market these recycled items in the market, and we start the cycle all over again. The more we recycle, the less we need to consume new raw materials, which results in us saving energy, reducing pollution, and keeping the planet whole

The Bottom Line: Every Small Action Counts

Recycling isn’t just tossing stuff in a can; it’s a whole process that keeps materials circulating for as long as possible. Recycling properly, we all help cut down on waste and make the planet a little bit greener.

Stay tuned for more insights and updates on innovative environmental initiatives and educational strategies by following our blog and engaging with us on social media.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE IMPACT OF IMPROPER WASTE DISPOSAL ON PUBLIC HEALTH

Image
By Ruth Oshuwa Irimonre Have you ever passed by a pile of trash and felt disgusted and concerned? Perhaps it is the smell, the flies hovering around, or what that pile may be doing to the environment-and to us. I have those moments, and it always leaves me wondering why proper waste disposal seems like such a big challenge. But the truth is, the impacts of not properly handling our waste go a bit deeper than just making our surroundings unpleasant; it threatens our health in ways many of us really don’t realize. Think about it: when waste isn’t disposed of correctly, it becomes a breeding ground for diseases. Have you noticed how stagnant water from discarded plastics becomes a haven for mosquitoes? Those are the mosquitoes that give diseases like malaria and dengue fever, which take away lives yearly, especially in developing countries. And then, of course, there is the open burning of waste in almost every neighborhood. While the act may be seen as a quick way out, the smoke emitted ...
Read more

UPCYCLING vs. RECYCLING: WHICH IS MORE SUSTAINABLE?

Image
By Best Precious   We all wish to play our role in reducing waste and rescuing the environment, yet when it comes to recycling or upcycling, which of them actually has a greater impact? Let’s get it cleared in the open in simple words. Recycling: Breaking Down Things to Start Over You’re aware of the fact that we toss plastic containers, paper, and glass in the recycling basket, expecting they will turn into something new. That’s the general idea with recycling, essentially killing them off and purifying them into different materials. It takes a substantial amount of water and energy just to recycle things. And products like plastic disintegrate from each recycling, so they’ll never last forever. The Pros of Recycling ✔ Saves natural resources ✔ Prevents a lot of waste from going into landfills ✔ Reduces the need for fresh materials The Downside to Recycling ✖ Can be energy intensive ✖ Not everything can be recycled after all (unfortunate as it is) ✖ Some products (plastic, e.g.) w...
Read more

Waste-to-Energy: Pros and Cons of This Emerging Technology

Image
  By Best Precious Think about your own trash can: after removing all that could be recycled, there is still trash left-food scraps, broken plastic, old clothes. We all understand very well that waste is a huge problem: landfills are filling up, trash too often ends up polluting our environment, and at the same time, the world is always in search of new ways to produce energy. That is where Waste-to-Energy comes in. WTE technology transforms the non-recyclable wastes into utilizable forms of energy like electricity, heat, or fuel. As WTE is a new technology, therefore, it entails certain benefits and drawbacks associated with WTE. THE PROS 1. Waste reduction to landfill: Waste-to-energy technology reduces the environmental as well as space-related problems associated with landfills, including water groundwater contamination and lack of land. 2. Renewable energy generation: It generates energy from waste that cannot be recycled. Energy harnessed in this manner can also be used for h...
Read more