How recycling works
There are many different ways to reduce the amount of waste we create – and it’s not just about recycling.
The first thing you should do is think about how you can reduce the amount of waste you put in the bin. For example, you can use a double sided printer to reduce your paper waste. Or you can re-fill your plastic water bottle to take to the gym. It’s environmentally friendly – and it’ll save you money too!
In years gone by “rag and bone men” used to travel the streets with a horse and cart, collecting unwanted items from people – and then selling them to new people. Rag and bone men were definitely ahead of their times! Now we have the same service, but it comes in the form of charity shops, boot fairs and even vintage clothes. These are all different ways of making sure the things that you’ve finished with are reused.
Recycling comes next. Instead of throwing your rubbish in any old bin, stop and think. Should you recycle it instead? If it’s recyclable – then put it in a recycling bin, either at home, at school or in a recycling bank. Once you’ve put it in the right bin, you can be assured that your rubbish is now on its way to becoming a new product.
Most recycled materials will be sent to a depot or sorting plant where they will be separated into different types of material, collected into large loads (to keep transport costs and emissions as low as possible) and then delivered to a reprocessing factory. There they will be cleaned, treated and re-formed either back into their original format or into a new product.
For example, newspapers can have the ink cleaned off, and be turned back into paper pulp. They are then reformed into ... paper which is sold back to newspaper publishers. Clever stuff! With careful treatment, glass, metal, plastic and even roads can all be turned back into their original materials.
Why not watch our video to see how we sort your materials ready for reprocessing?