What Happens to Recycled Goods?

Paper

• Paper like magazines and newspaper is separated from corrugated cardboard. It is then shipped to recycling mills and is reprocessed to make newsprint and cardboard. Cardboard is shipped to different processing plants where it reprocessed and used to make into new cardboard and brown paper bags used for grocery shopping. Recycled paper is in very high demand and can be lucrative for recycling facilities. These profits can in turn be used to subsidize less lucrative processing like the paper used for milk and juice containers.
  
  

Steel

• Steel is resold to scrap metal dealers and can be used for various new products.
  
  

Containers

• Containers from milk and juice are stripped, leaving behind paper, which is then used to make new products. Because this is high quality paper, this process is expensive and is often subsidized.
  
  Glass containers are sorted by color, crushed and are used to manufacture new glass products. Similarly, metal cans are melted down and are melted to make new cans. This is a lucrative process, as it is very energy efficient to use recycled aluminum for can production. Recycled cans can therefore end up back in circulation within just a few weeks of being recycled, and almost all cans on the market contain some recycled material.
  
  Similarly, plastic is sorted by type and color. It is then filtered and cleaned of contaminants, and made into pellets or fibers. It is then packed and sent to manufacturers specializing in a variety of crafts including artificial lumber as well as fleece, often used in skiing clothes or insulation. Most recycled plastic is made into a new form.