JOURNEY OF A CEREAL BOX - I BECAME A GAME BOARD!
Cereal box cardboard is sorted from other paper products
into specific grades and types of fibers. At the paper mill, the fiber is fed
into a hydrapulper where it is mixed with water and turned into a slurry that
will be used in the papermaking process. The wet slurry is spread onto a cloth
or wire web where it is formed into multilayered paperboard, similar to a
three-layer cake.
Traveling like a ribbon
around drying drums, the paperboard is dried and then wound into rolls — 100
inches wide and 5 feet in diameter — weighing about 2 tons, ready to be shipped
for converting into an end product like a game board.
JOURNEY OF A STEEL CAN – I BECAME A BICYCLE!
As
material moves along a conveyor belt, the steel cans are removed by a
very powerful magnet. They are then baled and shipped to a steel mill or
foundry, where they are usually mixed with other metal like automobile parts.
The steel is melted in a furnace at nearly 3000 degrees. It is then cast into
slabs and rolled into flat stock (rectangular bars) or steel sheets. It is then
cut into sections, rolled and welded into tubes, and used for products like
bicycle frames.
JOURNEY OF A STYROFOAM CUP – I BECAME THE
INSULATION IN YOUR ATTIC!
Styrofoam cups, meat trays, egg cartons etc. are
collected in Austin at the Reuse and Recycling Drop Off Center. The center has a machine that first shreds
and then melts the Styrofoam to condense it so it is suitable for shipping. The
condensed foam is then sent to various manufacturing facilities to be made into
baseboards, crown molding, and attic insulation.
JOURNEY OF A PLASTIC BAG – I BECAME A PARK
BENCH!
Retail plastic bags, bread bags, flexible plastic packaging
from paper towels and toilet paper, etc. are collected at the plastics
collection bins at grocery stores and many other retail outlets. They are
processed by turning the plastic into pellets which are used to make more
plastic bags, durable outdoor decks and fences, deck furniture, and building
products.
Please feel free to post any questions or comments to this blog that relate to recycling. I will research your questions and post the answers.
