Western Disposal Services

One of the most common questions we hear is, “What happens to my recyclables?”         

In the Denver area:

• Soda and water bottles go to South Carolina to be processed.
• Paper goes to either Arizona for making newspaper, or it goes to the Pacific Northwest to make cereal boxes, etc.
• Glass stays in Colorado to be made into beer bottles.
• Some plastic bottles go toward making clothing.
• Water and soda bottles made from PET plastic is made into polyester fiber and then used for products such as fleece wear, carpet and filler for ski jackets.

According to the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), 55 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling in 2007. This significant achievement was made possible by the millions of Americans who recycle at home, work, and school every day.

In fact, if measured by weight, more paper is recovered for recycling from municipal solid waste streams than all glass, plastic and aluminum combined. Additional good news: every ton of paper recovered for recycling saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.

• Paper recycling starts with us

Paper recycling begins with you and me. The paper recycling process begins at any number of locations, including community curbside programs, drop-off centers, schools or offices. Regardless of where the recycling process starts, it is important to understand what materials can be recovered in your community and how to properly prepare them for recycling.

• How is paper recycled once collected?

After it is collected, recovered paper is transferred to a recycling center, or Material Recovery Facility (MRF), where it is sorted into its different grades and “contaminants” such as trash, glass, plastics and metals are removed. Once the recovered paper is properly sorted and free of contaminants, it is compacted into large bales and transported to a paper mill where the recycling process begins.

To begin the papermaking process using recovered fiber, the fiber is shredded and mixed with water to make a pulp. The pulp is washed, refined and cleaned, then turned to slush in a beater. The process of papermaking from that point forward is essentially the same whether or not recovered fiber is used.

Scrap metal makes up one of the two largest exports that the U.S. sends to China. In fact, according to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), there are “150 million metric tons of scrap materials recycled annually including: 81.6 million tons of iron and steel, 5 million tons of aluminum, 1.8 million tons of copper and 2 million tons of stainless steel.” In addition to these metals, others metals can also be recycled including:

• Brass and Bronze
• Zinc
• Magnesium
• Tin
• Lead

The amount of energy saved in using recycled metals is extensive. The ISRI reports an energy use reduction of 95 percent for aluminum, 85 percent for copper and 74 percent for iron and steel. As far as conservation goes, using recycled goods for metal products can make a big impact. Steel conserves 2500 lbs. of iron ore, 1400 lbs. of coal and 120 lbs. of limestone, while aluminum conserves up to 8 tons bauxite ore and 14 megawatt hours of electricity.

Scrap metal includes ferrous metals (iron and steel) and nonferrous materials (aluminum, copper, tin, brass). Many of our home appliances are made of metals. This includes our washers & dryers, refrigerators, ovens & stoves and water heaters. Waste from unwanted appliances can be categorized in two main types: refrigerants (Freon) and non-refrigerants.

After collection and proper sorting, the scrap is compacted. It is then sold to minimills and processed into steel. According to RecycleMetal.org, “processing scrap metal to steel instead of virgin ore requires about 74 percent less energy.”

Why are most plastics marked with a number inside a recycling symbol? The simple answer is that each number represents the type of resin made to produce the plastic. Because each resin is different, these numbers affect how and where you can recycle plastics. You don’t have to remember the name. Plastics are identified by numbers one through seven.

1. PET (Polyethylene terephthalate)*: soda bottles, oven-ready meal trays and water bottles
2. HDPE (High-density polyethylene)*: milk bottles, detergent bottles and grocery/trash/retail bags
3. PVC (Polyvinyl chloride): plastic food wrap, loose-leaf binders and plastic pipes
4. LDPE (Low-density polyethylene): dry cleaning bags, produce bags and squeezable bottles
5. PP (Polypropylene): medicine bottles, aerosol caps, drinking straws and food containers (such as yogurt, ketchup bottles and sour cream/butter/hummus tubs)
6. PS (Polystyrene): compact disc jackets, packaging Styrofoam peanuts and plastic tableware
7. Other: reusable water bottles, certain kinds of food containers and Tupperware

*PET and HDPE are the most common forms of plastic, so they are the easiest types to find locations where they are accepted for recycling.

Recycled plastic is used to make many, many products including outdoor furniture, decks, trash receptacles, clothing, fencing, carpeting and much more.

Plastic water bottle facts:

• In 2006, Americans drank about 167 bottles of water each but only recycled an average of 23 percent. That leaves 38 billion water bottles in landfills.
• Bottled water costs between $1 and $4 per gallon, and 90 percent of the cost is in the bottle, lid and label.
• According to the Beverage Marketing Corp, the average American consumed 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976. In 2006 that number jumped to 28.3 gallons.
• It takes over 1.5 million barrels of oil to manufacture a year’s supply of bottled water. That’s enough oil to fuel 100,000 cars.
• Eight out of 10 plastic water bottles become landfill waste.
• In 2007 we spent $16 billion on bottled water. That’s more than we spent on iPods or movie tickets.
• Plastic bottles take 700 years before they begin to decompose in a landfill.
• If everyone in NYC gave up water bottles for one week, they would save 24 million bottles from being landfilled. One month on the same plan would save 112 million bottles, and one year would save 1.328 billion bottles from going into the landfill.

Facts about glass recycling:

• Glass containers are 100 percent recyclable, and recovered glass is used as the majority ingredient in new glass containers.
• The national recycling rate for glass containers is just over 25 percent, according to a 2005 study by the U.S. EPA.
• Americans recycle nearly 13 million glass jars and bottles every day.
• The glass container industry has an annual revenue of $5.5. billion, with almost 50 manufacturing plants located throughout the U.S.
• The typical glass processing facility can recycle up to 20 tons of glass per hour.
• Glass containers produced today are 40 percent lighter than when they were 20 years ago, making them much easier to recycle.
• Every ton of glass that is recycled results in one ton of raw materials saved to process new glass, including: 1,300 pounds of sand, 410 pounds of soda ash and 380 pounds of limestone.
• Glass containers come in four different colors: clear, blue, brown and green; glass must be separated by color to ensure that new glass is not created from a mix of colors.
• Most recycling programs will only accept glass containers, because other glass products such as drinking glasses, lightbulbs, mirrors and Pyrex are treated with contaminants when manufactured.
• A 2005 study by the Beverage Packaging Environmental Council found that 18 percent of glass bottles are consumed at bars or restaurants.

Colored glass containers are created by adding a coloring agent that cannot be removed. This means that colored glass, such as green and brown glass, can only be used to produce new green and brown glass, respectively.

• Separation of Contaminants: Any glass that has been contaminated by color mixing or other contaminants can be used to insulate fiberglass or as an ingredient in concrete.
• Cullet Creation: Cullet is crushed glass. It is created by melting down bottles and jars in a furnace. Any paper labels left on the glass will be burned off, but metal lids are removed so they do not harm the furnace. Cullet melts at a lower temperature than raw ingredients (such as sand), and is used to make new glass. Significant energy savings are achieved in this process.
• Reformation: Cullet serves as the main ingredient in new glass containers. The melted cullet is molded into the desired shape, such as a bottle or jar, with the end product back on the shelves within 30 days of the original glass container being recycled.

Products created from recycled glass include:

• New glass bottles and jars
• Fiberglass production (second most popular use of post-consumer glass behind beverage containers)
• Frictionator for matches and ammunition
• Abrasives in sand-blasting
• Ingredient in concrete and highway reflective paint
• Ceramic tiles and picture frames around the house
• Providing additional sand to beaches that have been depleted by erosion

To understand the e-waste recycling process, it’s important to understand that e-waste recyclers (and in general, all recyclers) are interested in both saving these devices from landfills as well as getting the most value out of these materials. Electronics such as computers and televisions are made with some valuable metals, including copper and gold, which can be sold and then reused in alternative capacities.

From an environmental standpoint, the fact that these items are being reused is far more important than any monetary benefits of recovering these valuable materials. However, e-waste recyclers are also recycling and reusing materials that aren’t nearly as valuable.

In general, as much as 99 percent of all materials from electronics are recycled by being reused in a different capacity or sold off. The vast majority of these materials are used for new electronic items, because some of the material (the plastic, for example), is already the right grade for electronic devices.

The material from electronics can be used for other products, such as plastic components that are used in the manufacture of lighters or wood composites.