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What Happens to Recyclables After they Leave the Bin?

 by General Kinematics,

recycling symbolCurious about what happens to your recyclables after they leave the bin? Recycling programs differ in their methods of collecting, sorting and shipping waste material. Read on to learn more about common ways recyclables are converted into new resources.

Some recycling programs sort waste materials at curbside while others collect them in one big bundle and sort them later at a specialized facility. Recyclables are typically separated by machine or by hand into categories such as plastics, paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum and more. After sorting, recyclables are sent to various factories and manufacturers and made into new products. The New York Sanitation Department offers some specifics:

Common Recycling Processes:

  • Paper products such as newspapers, printer paper and magazines are shipped to paper mills across the country to make new newspapers and cardboard products.
  • Factories process corrugated cardboard to make products such as paper grocery bags.
  • Common packaging such as bottles, cans and cartons are sorted by material.
  • Steel factories acquire and convert recycled steel into new product.
  • Glass is color separated and crushed prior to melting, then shipped to bottle and jar manufacturers.
  • Aluminum products are baled and sold to manufacturers to be made into new foil and cans.
  • Plastics are categorized and sent to respective factories.
  • Organic material such as leaves, branches and grass clippings are composted into natural fertilizer.

Are you a business in need of heavy duty recycling solutions? With a wealth of experience and industry-leading technology, General Kinematics offers powerful equipment fit for tough jobs such as single and multi stream recycling, material grinding, glass recovery, forestry and wood processing and more. GK’s global team of industry experts will match you with the best equipment for your needs to make sure your job gets done.

General Kinematics Corporation, incorporated in 1960, was established to market, design, and custom fabricate innovative vibratory equipment for the foundry, recycling, mining, and processing industries. Today the company continues as one of the world’s largest suppliers of vibratory processing equipment and has evolved into an industry-leading EPC firm. Headquartered in Crystal Lake, IL, General Kinematics has seven global locations providing engineering and support to a world-wide customer base. GK is a third generation, family-owned company and is ISO 9001 certified.