Recycling is an important aspect of waste management as it helps in the conservation of vital natural resources, reduces energy consumption and also cuts down on the impacts of waste products on our environment. But did you ever think about what happens to these recyclable items after they are collected from your end? Once the process of collecting them ends, a series of steps take place that eventually transform these materials into reusable resources. We at AP&J Recycling take pleasure in offering our customers hassle free recycling but there’s a lot more that we do beyond this point which the majority of people are unaware about.

Collection and Hauling

The recycling process starts with the collection of materials. A waste hauler collects recyclables—maybe all recyclables or maybe a specific type, such as plastic bottles—for a city, business, or organization. This can be done curbside for homes, in drop-off boxes at the street corner, or in dumpsters specifically designated for recyclables in more commercial situations.

At AP&J Recycling we would collect post-industrial plastics (HDPE and Polypropylene) among other things. The hauler then takes these materials to a material recovery facility (MRF) where they are sorted and processed for reentry into the manufacturing process.

Sorting and Preprocessing

Once the recyclable materials are taken to a recycling center, the next step is sorting. Many recycling plants use innovative machinery and processes to recover different types of items, like:

• Magnetic belts that pick up steel cans as they go by.

• Shakers and air classifiers that are used for separating light materials (e.g. paper and plastic) from heavy materials.

• Hand sorting for those material types where manual separation is required such as a specific type of plastic or damaged products.

In the case of industrial recycling, materials may also be further preprocessed to guarantee that they meet necessary specifications for further processing in the recycling loop. An example is given by post-industrial plastics such as HDPE and polypropylene, which are separated from other plastics so that they can be processed and reintroduced in manufacturing or in molding applications.

 Cleaning and Shredding

Once materials have been sorted, the next step is cleaning. This removes any remaining contaminants such as food residue, labels and adhesives. Contaminants left on recycling can impact on the quality of the recycled product and reduce its value or even the ability to recycle it.

For plastics this generally involves washing the materials to remove dirt and oils. For process destruction we ensure that obsolete or defective products are properly cleaned and sanitized prior to further processing. The steps required for cleaning other materials such as metal’s glass or paper will depend upon the type of residues present on those materials and/or what they will be used for in their subsequent applications.

After cleaning, many materials, especially plastics, are shredded. Shredding will reduce the size of the materials so that they can be more easily handled and processed. For example, large plastic sheets or bottles/containers are usually shredded into smaller pieces/flakes before further processing.

Processing and Refining

With cleaned and shredded materials ready, the next step is the actual processing. This is where the transformation into reusable materials begins.

• Plastic Grinding and Compounding: For plastics like HDPE and polypropylene, the shredded material is ground down into smaller granules or powder which can then be used as raw materials by plastic component manufacturers. Sometimes the granules are compounded with additives to enhance their properties for specific applications.

• Melting and Molding: For metals and plastics, once they have been sorted and segregated, they are melted back to liquid form and molded into new shapes paying little attention to further sorting among themselves. Recycled aluminum is melted down for example to create new beverage cans, automotive parts or building material. Plastics once in granular forms can also be remelted and molded into same products such as containers, plumbing pipes or synthetic fabric.

• Refining Paper and Cardboard: Once recycled paper is collected, it’s transported to a recycling facility. There, it goes through a pulping process where the paper is soaked in water and chemicals to break it down into fibers. The fibers are then cleaned, bleached (when necessary) and made into new sheets of paper or other products like cardboard boxes, or tissue products.

• Recycling Glass: After glass items are collected from the blue bin or at a community recycling depot, they are taken by truck (and often ferry) to a recycling facility. The glass is then crushed and melted in a furnace before being molded back into bottles or jars.

Manufacturing New Products

Manufacturing New ProductsAfter recycling, the next step in the life cycle is manufacturing new products. Manufacturers use the materials recovered from recycled products to make new goods.

For example, the recycled plastics (HDPE and polypropylene) that AP&J Recycling recovers are used to manufacture new plastic products. Plastics produced from recycled resources can include anything from packaging to automotive parts. The same holds true for metals and paper—they’re all used to produce a wide variety of new items, which helps conserve virgin resources and reduce negative environmental impacts.

Distribution and Reuse

Once products are manufactured, they are then sent through the supply chain to be distributed in other markets where they will be purchased by consumers or used in the production of other goods. Recycled materials along with raw materials make up supply chains within every industry from construction to consumer goods.

The level to which recycled materials and goods are reused dictates the amount of waste, energy consumption, and degradation of natural resources there is as this all happens within the linear economy. The more we can reuse these used products, especially before they are disposed of (in landfills) or burned, contributes a lot less waste and pollution.

Environmental Benefits

The complete recycling process offers many environmental benefits. It helps to conserve energy, reduce pollution, and preserve natural resources by reducing the need for raw resource extraction and refining.

• Conservation of Resources: Recycling reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and processing raw materials all of which create substantial air and water pollution.
  
• Energy Savings: Recycling typically requires less energy than producing products from virgin materials. For example, recycling aluminum cans saves 95 percent of the energy used to produce aluminum cans from virgin ore.

• Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions: By reducing energy requirements for mining or other extraction activities and by increasing efficiencies associated with producing goods and services, recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Conclusion

From collecting to manufacturing, recycling business waste is a complicated but efficient process for reducing waste and pollution. At AP&J Recycling, we work to ensure every facet of our operation is completed efficiently and with care. Our dedication to green industrial recycling, landfill diversion, and plastic recycling efforts makes it easy for businesses and municipalities to go green.

Get an insider’s look at the six steps of recycling so you can better understand how your involvement makes a positive difference in more ways than one.