Question

Describe the materials that are recycled and how recycling is accomplished.

Short answer

Recyclable materials include paper, plastic, glass and metal. Paper recycling involves pulp making, cleaning, de-inking, and reformation. Plastic recycling involves sorting, shredding, cleaning, and pelletizing. Glass recycling includes color sorting, washing, and melting with sand. Metal recycling involves sorting, shredding, melting, and shaping into new forms.

Step-by-step solution

Identify common recyclable materials

The common materials that are recycled include paper, plastic, glass, and metal. They are chosen due to the high rate of consumption and disposal of these products.

Describe paper recycling

Paper recycling is achieved by collecting waste paper, removing any contaminants such as staples and glue, then mixing it with water and chemicals to break it down into pulp. It is then cleaned, de-inked, and often bleached, before being dried and rolled out to produce new paper.

Describe plastic recycling

Plastic recycling involves collecting plastic waste, sorting it based on its resin type, and then shredded into small flakes. These flakes are then cleaned, melted and extruded into pellets, which can be used to manufacture new plastic products.

Describe glass recycling

In glass recycling, the waste glass is collected and sorted by color. It is then washed to remove impurities, before being melted with sand and minerals to produce new glass products.

Describe metal recycling

Metal recycling starts with collection and sorting based on the type of metal. The sorted metals are then shredded and melted in large furnaces, and then poured into molds to take the shape of new products.