THE RECYCLING JOURNEY – PART 1

What happens to those items we carefully put into our recycling bins or take to recycling centers?  We know they no longer go to the landfill, but what do they become?  Below is the journey of four items that many of us recycle.  In some cases, these new items return to stores and store shelves within 30 days. The source for the information below is Keep America Beautiful, Recycling Campaign http://iwanttoberecycled.org/learn.

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.