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What happens to your waste and recycling Have you ever wondered exactly how your household recycling is processed? Here are a few interesting facts you may not have been aware of.
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All of the newsprint manufactured in the UK is made from 100% recycled paper.
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All of the organic (garden and kitchen) waste collected is recycled.
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Over 80% of the glass collected for recycling is used in the UK, the majority of it to make new glass bottles and jars.
Blue bin and paper caddy – recycling Blue bin lorries have two compartments, a compartment for paper collected in the caddy and a compartment for mixed recycling collected in the blue bin. When the blue bin lorries are full, they empty the mixed recycling at the sorting plant, called a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), at AmeyCespa near Waterbeach. At the MRF, all the mixed recycling is sorted and separated into different types of materials by hand or machine (or both) before being sent to manufacturers for reuse in new products. Once collected and sorted, recycled materials become valuable commodities in the worldwide market.
Paper and cardboard The paper and cardboard is sorted into three grades – brown cardboard, mixed paper/cardboard, and newspaper/magazines. Once sorted they are sent to the various reprocessing centres where it is turned into pulp. The pulp is then cleaned and screened to remove any contaminants. Once the pulp is clean, it is ready to be turned into a new product. The lower grade mixed paper and cardboard is recycled into various cardboard based packaging products. The newspaper/magazines sent for processing are turned back into recycled newsprint.
Cans Food and drinks cans are either made out of steel or aluminium which are separated at the recycling centre. The aluminium cans are shredded and then melted down and reused to produce more aluminium cans. The steel cans are mixed with molten iron which in turn, is used to make new products such as a bikes, car and aeroplane parts, paperclips or even new cans.
Glass Unbroken glass arriving at the recycling centre is sent to be melted and used in the process of making new bottles. The remainder is crushed and used in the production of a wide range of everyday products such as: fibreglass insulation, ceramic sanitary ware production, Astroturf, various landscape
applications, such as a top dressing or golf bunker sand, recycled glass countertops, water filtration medium and abrasives. It is also used as aggregate in concrete, as a flux in brick manufacture and when mixed with asphalt known as Glassphalt, it is used for road surfaces and pavements.
Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and bags Plastic are sorted at the recycling centre according to type of material and colour. At the processor centre the plastic is either melted down directly and reformed, or flaked and then melted down. A wide range of products can be made from recycled plastic, including new plastic bottles, garden furniture, water butts, compost bins and fleece jackets/ jumpers.
Green bin – food and garden waste The waste from your green bin is taken to AmeyCespa – here it goes through an intensive ‘in-vessel’ composting process. The resulting soil conditioner is sold for local agriculture, and is also available to householders to collect free of charge from the site. Contact 03450 450 063 for more information.
Black bin – non-recyclable waste Black bin waste is taken to AmeyCespa where it is passed through the Mechanical Biological Treatment plant (MBT). The MBT mechanically removes some items from the waste and then treats the rest in a huge composting hall. This breaks the waste down as much as possible, helping to reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise be released had it have been simply landfilled.
Does the UK export any recyclable material? Countries such as China are prepared to pay high prices for recyclables such as waste plastic – mainly because they do not have readily available sources of virgin materials (i.e. indigenous forests or oil supplies) to feed a large manufacturing industry requiring these products. Even though exporting our recyclables leaves a bigger carbon footprint due to transportation, it is still a better environmental option than using new raw materials, and minimises the need to use our natural resources, therefore reducing carbon emissions during the manufacturing process. And it also means those waste materials are not being landfilled. AmeyCespa has an Education Centre at the Waterbeach site, giving community groups and residents a chance to learn more about what happens to the items they throw away and how they can play their part in reducing the rubbish we create. If you would like to visit the site or would like more information contact them on 01223 861010 or email WasteEnquiries@amey.co.uk
Cambridgeshire is in the countries top ten for recycling with 58% of household rubbish being put to good use. melbournmagazine
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