Where Does Recycling Go?
Recyclables go to Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) where they are sorted by type (paper, plastic, metal, glass), cleaned, and baled. These bales are sold to manufacturers who process them into raw materials for new products. However, not all recyclables actually get recycled - contamination, market conditions, and lack of demand mean some end up in landfills.
Key Takeaways
- After curbside pickup, recyclables go to a MRF (Materials Recovery Facility, pronounced 'murf').
- Only about 9% of plastic ever produced has been recycled - most plastics are actually downcycled or discarded.
- Aluminum is highly valuable and efficiently recycled; glass is often not economical to recycle.
Explanation
After curbside pickup, recyclables go to a MRF (Materials Recovery Facility, pronounced 'murf'). Workers and machines sort materials using magnets (for steel), air jets (for paper), optical scanners (for plastic types), and manual sorting. Sorted materials are compressed into large bales.
Bales are sold on commodity markets to recyclers. Paper mills buy paper bales and turn them into new paper or cardboard. Aluminum is melted and remade into cans. Plastics are processed into pellets for manufacturing. Glass is crushed into cullet for new glass or construction material. Prices fluctuate based on supply and demand.
Challenges include contamination (food residue, non-recyclables in the bin), which can make entire batches unmarketable. After China stopped accepting most foreign recycling in 2018, markets struggled. Some communities now landfill recyclables due to economics. 'Wishcycling' (putting non-recyclables in the bin hoping they will be recycled) causes problems.
Not all plastics are created equal for recycling. Plastics are labeled with resin identification codes (#1 through #7). PET (#1, used in water bottles) and HDPE (#2, used in milk jugs and detergent bottles) are the most commonly and successfully recycled, with recycling rates of 29% and 31% respectively. Plastics #3-#7 are recycled at rates below 10%, and many curbside programs do not accept them. Black plastic containers are especially problematic because optical sorting machines cannot detect them.
Aluminum recycling is the great success story. Recycling an aluminum can saves 95% of the energy needed to make a new one from raw bauxite ore. A recycled can returns to store shelves as a new can in as little as 60 days. The US recycles about 45% of its aluminum cans, and the material can be recycled indefinitely without quality loss. By contrast, paper fibers shorten with each recycling cycle, limiting paper to about 5-7 recycling rounds before the fibers become too short to hold together.
Things to Know
- Only about 9% of plastic ever produced has been recycled - most plastics are actually downcycled or discarded.
- Aluminum is highly valuable and efficiently recycled; glass is often not economical to recycle.
- Recycling rules vary significantly by location - check your local guidelines.
- Shredded paper is difficult to recycle because the short fibers fall through sorting screens - bag it in a clear plastic bag before placing in the bin, or compost it instead.