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3 Phases of Large Recycling Bin in the Recycling Process

Have you ever thought about what happens to the waste you dump into your large recycling bin? Most people do not know how the recycling facility turns the items into useful materials. There is much talk about the green benefits of recycling. Yet few know about the process and the steps in it.

People do it because the local rules make it necessary for them to recycle. Whatever be the reason behind the collection, the process is sure to surprise you. From recovering usable items to repurposing them, many steps are present. Here is a quick overview of the important phases.

Large Recycling Bin Contents: Recovery Of The Items For Reuse

Many households use separate recycle bins. They use plastic or metal containers for recyclables. In many places, the local rules need all residents to recycle. The rules apply to commercial spaces too. A large commercial garbage bin is ideal for collecting recyclables.

The recyclable materials go in the recycle bin. These include items like paper, cardboard, and plastics. A durable stainless steel outdoor trash can is a good choice for recycling waste.

The collection truck brings the contents of your recycling bin to the facility. At the facility, the following steps occur for separating the materials.

  1. A pre-sort area first removes all the items that are not recyclable.
  2. The materials are then sorted automatically with the help of machines. Or, the process is a manual one done by workers.
  3. Large screened drums or cylinders help in sorting the items. An optical scanner identifies the plastic items. These are then sorted by color.
  4. Magnets help sort the metal items.
  5. Then, the sorting of different grades of paper and cardboard items occurs.
  6. The materials are rolled into big bales. They are sent to facilities, which reprocess them and turn them into useful items.
  7. Some of the recyclables that are of high-quality help create new products.

Use garbage bins with more than one slot. They help sort different recyclable items with ease. Or, you can use separate bins for different recyclable items.

Phases In The Recycling Process

Three important phases are present in the recycling process. These include:

Phase 1: Collection

The collection of materials is the first phase. It occurs in many ways, such as:

  1. Curbside collection is a common method. Your local authority can arrange this type of door-to-door material collection.
  2. Drop-off at the recycling center. It can occur at retail sites and collection events. You take all the recyclable items to the facility and place the items in separate containers.
  3. Refund or deposit programs

You can use a separate trash receptacle for the items. Add only recyclable materials like glass bottles, plastics, etc. in the containers. The collection truck will sort the items curbside. The sorted items are put in different boxes in the truck.

Or, the collection truck tips the contents into the truck without sorting. The sorting takes place in the material recycling facility.

Phase 2: Processing

In this phase, the items reach the MRF (Material Recovery Facility). The sorting, cleaning, and processing occur at the facility. Thus, they separate the reusable materials. The separation happens in two ways:

  1. Manual separation of the items
  2. Machines sort the items

Most facilities use a combination of both methods for sorting. The facility then ships the materials to recyclers of the specific materials.

Phase 3: Manufacturing

After sorting the recyclables, they bundle them into cubes. The facility sends the cubes to the manufacturers. The recycling plants use the shipped products to make recycled materials. Since each material is different, the recycling method also differs.

What Are The Methods Of Recycling?

Here are some of the methods in use now:

1. Paper

This method involves shredding the paper and soaking it in vats. It produces paper pulp. The pulp acts as the raw material for making sheets. Rolling and drying of the sheets take place from the paper used for making paper products.

The white printer paper that you find in offices is of higher quality than the paper towels you find in a washroom. Paper of higher quality can make better-recycled products.

You should have separate recycling bins for paper and wood items. You can find quality stainless steel automatic trash can types. These help in sorting recyclable paper.

2. Plastic

The recycling facility sorts the items based on the type of plastic. The facility then crushes the sorted material into smaller pieces. It blends the plastic to form a homogenous material.

The next step is melting and screening the blend to form plastic strands. On cooling, pellets are cut from the strands to make new products. Most commercial spaces have large commercial trash bin models. These help in collecting plastic recyclables.

3. Glass

Glass is easy to recycle. All waste jars and bottles are recyclable. The facility sorts the items depending on their color. It then cleans and crushes the glass into cullets. The melting of the cullets with the ingredients results in new glass products.

4. Metals

The facility sorts metals as nonferrous and ferrous items. It then compacts the materials and cuts them into smaller pieces. New products emerge by melting these small pieces of metal. Food and drink cans made of aluminum undergo this type of process.

5. Wood

Waste wood items are reusable. The recycling facility shreds waste wood into pieces. These are stuck together with adhesives. The process helps make composite woods like laminates. The pieces also serve as raw materials for new wooden products. Garden decks and wooden flooring are some uses of waste wood.  

6. Oil

Pouring waste oil from car and truck engines is bad for the environment. It pollutes seas and rivers and harms the drinking water. You can recycle the oil that you pour down the drain. Take it to the recycling center for reprocessing it into products like heating oil. Waste oil from cooking is a good source of biodiesel, which is a type of vehicle fuel.

7. Rubber

A major part of rubber waste is from old vehicle tires. Shredded rubber ending up on the roads also causes water and air pollution. To prevent rubber pollution, you need to recycle your old tires. Recycling facilities turn old tires into retreads. Or, they shred the tires to make soft and bouncy landscaping items. These serve as cushioning materials for children’s playgrounds.

Final Takeaway

Sorting the items in your trash will not seem a tedious chore anymore. As you can see, many of the things that you dispose of in the trash bin are valuable items. You get to save resources, money, and energy. Besides, you get to play a role in making your surroundings clean and green. The large recycling bin you choose should have more than one slot. These slots help in easy sorting of the waste.

For instance, you can use the Commercial Zone ArchTec Waste and Recycling Center. It has a separate slot for general trash and mixed recyclables. Besides this, there are several more bin models available, which make recycling easy. You can find durable and trendy bin models at Trash Cans Depot.