Last week, I had the unique opportunity to take a look behind the curtains at the magic that takes place at my local recycling plant.
Over the course of an hour, I was led through Waste Management’s Denver Recycling Facility and got to ask some important questions about the recycling process and big takeaways for community members. We looked at how each recyclable item was separated from a single stream, identified, collected, and baled for end buyers.
Bottom line: I learned a lot.
How Does the Magic Happen?
At the beginning of the tour, we took a peek at the items that people are putting in their recycling bin.
There was everything from plastic, paper, and glass (woohoo!) to film grocery bags, wood, and even an old leaf blower (okay…not so great.)
Each facility can recycle different types of materials based on their end buyers, so we were reminded to always check with your recycling facility on what they’re able to take. (More on this later.) If you’re with Waste Management (WM), you can recycle paper, glass, aluminum, and plastics #1, #2, #4, and #5. Anything else should go in your trash can. I like to use the quip “when in doubt, throw it out” if I’m unsure.
So why is it so important to recycle properly?
We next trekked up the stairs where we saw conveyor belts speedily chugging along containing all manner of recyclable items. WM has recently invested in a variety of robots to help with sorting, but our guide, Laura, explained that they are inefficient compared to their human counterparts. Farther along down on the conveyor belt, employees clad in masks, eyewear, and heavy-duty gloves scanned the conveyor belts for nonrecyclable items the robots hadn’t removed and picked them out of the stream by hand.
We watched as employees removed gobs of wadded plastic bags, large multi-layer plastic packaging, and plastics that were contaminated with food, oil, and the like. Laura explained that increased contamination of recycling materials increases the likelihood that employees will be injured on the job. Contaminated items and nonrecyclable materials can also gunk up the machines and cause damage to the facility, which slows down the entire process.
Further along we watched the recyclables trundle down the conveyor belt and fall into a sorter called an Eddy Stream - a nifty contraption designed to use anti-magnetism to separate aluminum cans from the rest of the stream. Next door, a narrower conveyor belt jangled merrily with tiny bits of glass destined for recycling.
Another new set of equipment called an Optical Sorter took rapid photos of materials that had been rejected by other sorting systems and destined for landfill. Then, using suction, it returned items that had been programmed into the system to back to the recycling stream. This, Laura explained, helped catch more recyclable materials that otherwise would have ended up as trash, and further increased the catch-rate.
At the end of the process, single-stream items were packed and baled, and employees searched through the bales for more nonrecyclable items that might have made it through the entire plant. This ensures that the bales are as free of contamination as possible for the end buyers.
Where Do Recycled Bales Go?
After the materials have gone through the entire recycling process and are baled and stacked outside the facility, they are loaded onto trucks to be delivered to purchasers.
This, Laura said, was the sticking point for recycling’s profitability.
In order for an item to be recycled through WM, it needs an end buyer. This means that all the glass, cardboard, aluminum, and plastic needs a company at the end of the process who is interested in buying it. This can get tricky. Years ago I remember hearing that plastics #1-7 could easily be recycled in my area. However, as we chatted with Laura, she admitted that this was misinformation. In reality, only plastics #1, #2, #4, and #5 can be recycled at WM because there is no market for the other plastics. So even if an item is marked as recyclable, it doesn’t mean it truly can, or will, be recycled. Laura also shared with us that plastics labeled recyclable #7 were, in fact, never recyclable, because manufacturers can label anything deemed as “plastic” as #7 without any oversight or regulation. Who knew??
At the end of the day, recycling is still a business and needs consumers in order to be a sustainable model. The more that we can encourage not only safe and contamination-free recycling practices but engage in buying post-consumer recycled materials, the better off our recycling system will be.
Our Key Takeaways
In Colorado, our recycling rates are exceedingly low - nearly half that of the national average (which, at best, rests at around 30%.) It will take all of us engaging in proper recycling to improve the system.
What it all boils down to: Check with your local recycling provider about what you can recycle. I know this isn’t the easy answer and I wish there were a catch-all rule that applies to all recyclers. The good news is that recyclers throughout Colorado and beyond have a plethora of information available on their websites for how to recycle appropriately. It just takes a couple minutes of searching online to make sure you’re putting the right materials in your recycling bin and keeping the wrong ones out.
Interested in touring a recycling facility or landfill? Reach out to us and we’ll make the connection to help you see for yourself!
Shop Sustainably With Us!
At Summit Sustainable Goods, all our zero waste household care and personal care products are truly environmentally friendly and contain only compostable or recyclable materials and packaging. No harmful landfill-bound items here!
We work with our suppliers to make sure all the products we sell are truly safe for the environment and your body - because we believe that you and mother nature both deserve the best. It’s just another way we live into our values of being as environmentally and ethically conscious as possible.
Where can you find our curated selection of high quality and sustainable products? You know we’ve got you covered!
Check out our website at www.summitsustainablegoods.eco or visit us at a local pop-up around town. (Info available through our website or socials.)
Want to follow our journey and learn about future zero waste events and happenings? Adventure with us by signing up for our email list or follow us on Instagram or Facebook to keep up-to-date on all things Summit.
Much love,
Carrie, Founder
Sources:
Waste Management
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