Where Does Recycling Go?

When you throw things away, where it away? That question has been used to get people to think about landfills and what garbage is doing to our planet.

We know recycling keeps stuff out of the local landfill. But where does it go?

Recyclables are baled at the Flin Flon Recycling Centre and shipped. Materials are shipped to Cascades Recovery in Winnipeg. There it is sorted and sent it on its way to a new life.

Cardboard is made into new cardboard or Boxboard.
Boxboard (cereal boxes) is made into new boxboard.
Newspapers become new newspapers, magazines or boxboard.
Milk cartons and juice boxes (Tetra Paks) and office paper become tissue like ‘Kleenex’ , toilet paper, etc.
Aluminium cans become new aluminium. It is the purest form to recycle.
#1 Plastic like pop bottles and clam shell food containers become fibres for carpets and clothing to make items last longer.
Milk jugs (#2 plastic) becomes new #2 Plastic (HDPE) and is also used for car parts. 
Tin is smelted to become new tin, or to make car parts. 
Other plastics are recycled into new materials. Most recycling is done in the Midwest or Southern US and Eastern Canada.

Did you know?

• Paper fibers can be recycled up to 7 times.
  Two plastic pop bottles make enough polyester fibre for one baseball cap.
  
  

You can support recycling by purchasing things that are made from recycled materials. Check the labels of containers and paper products to find out. 

Question: what is the name of the recycling symbol? Enter on Facebook: Flin Flon Recycling.

If you are not recycling, you are throwing it all away. 


Originally published Feb 26, 2014.  The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.