Q: Where do my recyclables go after I toss them in the recycling bin?
A: Collecting recyclables at your home or office in a receptacle might be all you have to do to recycle, but there are a few more steps in the process before your plastic bottles, aluminum cans and office paper can be recycled into a new product.
Private waste haulers pick up trash and recyclables and take them to the designated location based on what they have collected. Some communities have materials recovery facilities or MRFs (pronounced “merfs”), where recyclables are sorted into the appropriate categories for further processing at recycling centers.
Recyclables are processed at recycling plants and paper mills to create new products. Yesterday’s newspapers and copy paper become tomorrow’s recycled linerboard for corrugated cardboard packaging products.
If you live in the NYC area, you can learn more about where recyclables from your home end up here. Ask your Great Forest representative about the specifics of where waste goes from your office building.
Related: Where Do Recyclables go (VIDEO)