Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where does the recycling end up?
Answer:
- Glass bottles and jars are generally delivered to a London-based aggregates company to be turned into building sand, insulation or lightweight construction aggregate.
- Plastic bottles and orange sacks are usually sent for processing in Europe and China. Plastic is sorted and processed into products such as new bottles, new orange sacks, car parts, home composters or garden furniture.
- Aluminium cans and aerosols canisters are delivered to a processing plant in the North West of England. They are melted down and used for multiple purposes including being turned into new cans and for car and aeroplane construction.
- Steel cans and aerosols are sent for processing in the North of England or in Wales. The steel can be recycled into a variety of products including new cans, bicycle frames, pipes and train tracks.
- Paper and cardboard are sent to multiple reprocessors in Kent, the North West of England, Europe and China. Different grades of paper and cardboard are turned into new products such as office paper, newspapers, books and magazines. A small amount of paper sent for recycling is turned into other products such as jiffy bags, loft insulation and road surfaces using a variety of different processes. Cardboard is usually made into new boxes and packaging, but can also be used as animal bedding.
- Food and drink cartons are currently being included in the mixed paper grade and sold to reprocessors as outlined above. Currently only the fibre part of the carton is recycled. The plastic and aluminium that is used to keep cartons airtight is generally used by paper mills in their integrated energy from waste plants to provide energy for their processes.
