You may wonder what happens to all the recycling once it's collected.
- Where does it go?
- What are the recyclables made into?
- How do they sort all those different items?
- What happens to all the items once they are separated?
Once the recycling is collected it is taken down to the Materials Recycling Factory (MRF). The materials are separated sorted and baled before being sold off to the world market.
Below is a list of things that can be made from recycled materials.
Paper
Cardboard gets remade as corrugated cardboard. Newspapers and leaflets are made into new newsprint. Other mixed paper is recycled to make new paper.
Cans
From the ferrous and non-ferrous metals, many things can be produced, including new cans, car parts, aeroplane parts and ship parts.
Glass
The glass is crushed for road building in the South London area. It can also be used to make new glass.
Plastic
The plastic bottles we collect from are made into more plastic bottles. But recycled plastic can also be used to make garden furniture, fleece jackets, new wheelie bins, composters and video and CD cases, among other things.
Next stage: transporting your recycling.