What happens to our recycling? Does it actually get recycled? I’ve heard it just ends up in a landfill.
Recycling has faced a lot of scrutiny over the years. The media has led us to believe recycling isn’t effective or doesn’t even happen. I’m here to tell you recycling is very real. Michigan is working to increase our recycling efforts with changes to laws and engagement of residents and businesses in recycling activities.
Part of the mistrust in our recycling is the lack of transparency. I, for one, didn’t know where my recyclables went until I got more involved in the industry. It wasn’t an easy question either when you don’t know who to ask. Now that the mystery is solved, I’m here to tell you all about it. Let’s follow the journey of recyclables from our bins, to Recycle Works, and back to the store.
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- First, materials leave our homes in our curbside carts or we drop them off at the various recycling stations around the county. (Pop over to our Recycling Basics Page for locations!)
- Large trucks pick up the bins in the same way our trash is picked up. In fact, the trucks are often the same trucks that handle trash. The big difference is the destination. In some areas of the state, trucks are divided so that recycling and trash can be collected on the same trip. Once routes are complete, trucks carrying Van Buren County recycling head to Elkhart, Indiana.
- Next, the trucks deliver recyclables to the materials recovery facility (MRF – pronounced “Murph” like “Murphy”) called Recycle Works. At a MRF, materials are dumped from the trucks onto a tipping floor. From there, loaders move materials to conveyor belts to be sorted by type. Machinery and staff sort recyclables by size screens, vacuum, magnets, and air streams. Check out this video of our own MRF to see it all in action. At the end of the process, like items end up in bales that look like a giant hay bale.
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- Bales are loaded up into semi trailers of all the same material and shipped to a secondary processor. Materials are processed by shredding. Shredded bits of plastic get melted and reshaped into pellets. These pellets are sold to manufacturers of the products we see in our stores.
- Pellets that have been sold to manufacturers like Refresco, are used to make new bottles, containers, and more. Recently, Coca-cola released bottles that were made from 100% recycled materials. Many of the companies in the United States are working to go green with initiatives like using more recycled content and making sure the products they produce are recyclable.
- Bales are loaded up into semi trailers of all the same material and shipped to a secondary processor. Materials are processed by shredding. Shredded bits of plastic get melted and reshaped into pellets. These pellets are sold to manufacturers of the products we see in our stores.
Recycling can seem like a long process, but has a lower environmental impact than mining for raw materials. The entire process of recycling happens in a continuous cycle that helps keep materials in the market. For example, materials such as aluminum cans can go from the recycling bin back to shelves in as little as 30 days.
Every item we purchase and use is made of something. Making choices in the materials we purchase can be impactful. Plastic contains materials such as oil, coal, and natural gas. All these materials are non-renewable and have big impacts on our planet. The more we can purchase items that can be recycled and keep them in use, the less we will need to harvest more resources in the future.
From our homes to our trucks, to the MRFs, processors, manufacturers, and our store shelves -materials can live a very long and productive life. Recycling doesn’t just improve our environment and reduce landfill space, it improves our economy.
If you have further questions on the recycling process, please contact me, Recycling & Materials Management Coordinator Kalli Marshall, at ResourceRecovery@VanBurenCD.org!
