How Does Recycling Work Exactly?
How Does Recycling Work Exactly?
Turning Trash into Things We Use
I understand the video above is quite silly, however it does point out an important part of the supply chain of waste management. Not all trash must end up rotting away in landfills. Many things can be recycled and used once again. Products like:
Paper Products
This includes office paper, cardboard boxes, magazines, catalogs, phone books, mail, and paper bags.
However, products in this category that cannot be recycled includes:
https://www.3blmedia.com/news/recycled-cartons-can-help-prevent-paper-product-shortages
Juice boxes, toilet paper, and food boxes just to name a few.
Plastics
Plastics are far harder to recycle than paper. Many products can contain more than one type of plastic which can make the recycling process harder. There are numerous types of plastics which require different methods. I will go through each type of plastics used today. Plastic products have a symbol somewhere on the item to differentiate between which type of product it is. The symbol looks something like this:
https://www.goodstartpackaging.com/what-do-recycling-symbols-mean/
PET (1) Plastics
PET or polyethylene terephthalate plastics have many uses. They are most commonly used in plastic bottles such as water, soda, or juice bottles. They can also be used for beauty products. When it is recycled, the labels are removed, shredded, and then washed. This plastic can be recycled an infinite amount of times.
HDPE (2) Plastics
https://everydayrecycler.com/plastic-number-2-hdpe/
HDPE or high-density polyethylene plastics are used in cutting boards, cleaner bottles such as laundry detergents, and piping. It is recycled by being shredded, melted, and finally cooled into pellets. This plastic can be recycled up to ten times. To help the integrity of the material, HDPE is often added into virgin materials. Chemicals can be added to help the plastics from degrading.
However, many times HDPE is downcycled, which means that when it is recycled over and over again, it degrades. From its original use as let's say a spray bottle, after it is recycled, it can be used for lumber, tables, roadside curbs, benches, and other products.
PVC (3)
PVC is used for piping like the ones you see in your house or business. This plastic is unfortunately unable to be recycled in normal collections. PVC or polyvinyl chloride can be recycled, but most recycling centers refuse to do so because of its high chlorine content. It also often contains harmful chemicals that are released into a vapor during the recycling process. The way it is recycled is similar to HDPE. It can be recycled many times, but depending on what type of PVC it is, it can limit its quality.
LDPE (4)
LPDE which is called low density polyethylene is used most commonly in grocery bags, but can also be used in food wrapping like saran wrap, tubing like drainage, irrigation, and agricultural systems, computer parts like hard drives, screen cards, and optical drives, laboratory equipment, and lids. At your local supermarket, you may have seen the bag collection bins in the entrance of the store. You take your bags and deposit them in a box or bin and it is shipped off to facilities where it is shredded, melted down, and made into pellets where it is reformed into plastic bags or the other products mentioned above. However, the more rigid the product, the easier it is to recycle.
PP (5)
PP plastics or polypropylene is a very light thermoplastic. It is quite durable and versatile. It is used in toys, bottle caps, packaging, and utensils just to name a few. It is recycled by normal means, but it is important to separate them from PET plastics because they both can cause integrity issues if recycled together.
PS (6)
PS or polystyrene is a durable plastic and mainly used in the production of Styrofoam. It is used for packaging, disposable cups, plates, and bowls, egg cartons, and takeout containers. Polystyrene is commonly not recycled, but it can be reused in different mediums such as additives to plaster after it is shredded. Because it is not commonly recycled, it is sent to landfills or becomes litter where its decay rate is estimated at hundreds or thousands of years.
This plastic type is for other. This category pertains to plastics that are difficult to define and even more difficult to recycle. However, some products like plastic cups can be reused. These plastics can also be upcycled, meaning you can use them for special uses such as using these products in gardening like reusable cups that have been damaged. You can make them into planters.
When it comes to bioplastics, you can compost these products because they are made from plant material.
It is very important to know what different plastics can be recycled and where and how to recycle them. Many facilities that recycle will let you know which plastics they accept.
Metals
Metals are some of the easiest materials to recycle. Unlike plastics, they do not lose integrity after being recycled back into another product. The property of the metal is such that they retain their physical properties after being melted down and reshaped. Most metals can be recycled, including precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum. However, instead of naming each metal and its recycling process and possibly boring the reader to tears, I have melted it down (pun intended) to three categories: steel, copper, and aluminum.
Steel
Steel is the most commonly used metal in daily life. We have steel in our cars, our homes, and our workplaces. Steel is strong and durable and is an alloy of iron and carbon. It began replacing iron as the metal of choice since the1860's when they stopped making iron rails and opted for steel rails. Later, in the 1870's, steel became the ideal material for almost every application. By the 1890's, steel had become the preferred choice for building.
Steel that is recycled is collected from scrap yards using a magnet. The metal is then shredded, melted down at a temperature of 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, refined, and then reshaped. It is an easy process, very similar to making virgin steel.
Copper
Copper is another common metal that is recycled and that we use in our daily lives. We have it in our money, our piping, and use it to conduct electricity to our homes and in our appliances. Copper is usually recycled from old electronics, buildings, and roofing sheets. It is shredded and then melted down to be made into other products. Unlike steel, copper does corrode, but it generally does not degrade. Case in point, the Statue of Liberty in New York City.
When this monolithic statue was gifted to us by the French in July 4, 1884, it had its brownish copper sheen. However, over the years, it had corroded and become the greenish color it is today. And yes, the Statue of Liberty can be recycled.
Aluminum
Aluminum is one of the most versatile metals and probably the most famous for recycling. Besides aluminum cans, this metal is used in high rise buildings for holding windows and door frames in place, vehicles such as aircrafts, cars, trucks, and boats, some electrical uses, and food processing equipment to name a few. It has a fairly low melting points at about 660 degrees Fahrenheit.
Every year, about 10.5 million tons of steel and 2.7 million tons of aluminum end up in the landfill each year. (Not much information on how much copper ends up in the landfill) That is a staggering amount given the ease at which it is refined and reused. The main issue is infrastructure. In some cities where recycling centers are far and few between, it is just easier to throw away the metal item. Another issue is contamination. Sometimes it is hard to separate materials from metals. It is important that if you can recycle metal, that you at least try. The process at which it is mined and refined takes a lot more energy than just recycling the material.
Glass
Glass is everywhere in our lives. From our windows, to our watches, and even the cups that we drink, glass is everywhere. There are many types of glass, but not all can be recycled. The glass that cannot be recycled are glass contaminated with food waste or dirt, heat resistant glass, mirrors, crystals, window glass, decorative glass, mixed color glass, and ceramic glass. The glass that is recyclable, such as jars and bottles, can be infinitely recycled. Although glass is made from natural materials, it takes centuries for it to break down and it causes overflow at the landfill.
Food and Organic Recycling
I am lumping food and lawn waste into the same category, because these items can be composted either at home or at composting sites. This lawn and food waste unfortunately finds its way to the landfill way too often and it adds 50 million tons of waste to the landfill each year in the United States.
As you can see, recycling is a great way to keep stuff out of landfills each year, however in a later blog post, I will talk about how recycling is ineffective in the United States. I am not bashing it, but pointing out the flaws in our infrastructure and laws. I hope this has opened your eyes to recycling and how it impacts our planet and our lives. Please, follow this blog and share it on social media.
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