Environmental Services
What Happens to Recyclables in Arlington?
Have you ever wondered where your recyclables end up after they get picked up from the curb, after you’ve left them at one of the County’s recycling drop-off centers, or when your hauler has come to empty your recycling dumpster? Have you ever wondered how old newspaper gets recycled into new newspaper, or how a plastic soda bottle is turned into something new and different, like a t-shirt or bag? Well, let us tell you how! Watch a video of the process. Preparation for Pickup/Drop-off The story begins when an Arlington resident places their materials out for recycling in blue recycling cart, brings their recyclables to one of the County's recycling drop-off centers, or when a business puts their used materials in their recycling dumpster. It is very important that residents and employees properly prepare their recyclables for collection. Improper preparation of materials (e.g., including the wrong type of material) causes contamination. Although some contamination is to be expected – and is removed during the sorting process at the processing facility - processors may not accept materials that are heavily contaminated. These will be disposed of, and that completely defeats the purpose of recycling! Recycling the proper materials maximizes the diversion of collected materials from disposal.
After materials are put out for recycling, the recycling truck comes to pick them up. Recyclables brought to the drop-off centers should be placed in the appropriate bins. The large containers are emptied periodically, or whenever they are full. Businesses and multi-family residences are collected on the day(s) decided by the property manager. The trucks that collect recyclables from the curb then drive the materials to a transfer station in Merrifield, and once a tractor trailer is filled it is periodically taken to a material recovery facility (MRF) located in Elkridge, MD. Private haulers that service businesses and multi-family residences bring recyclables to various processors (MRFs) in the region and recyclables from the drop-off centers are taken to a MRF in Springfield, VA. When the trucks arrive at the MRF, they are first weighed at the station to determine the weight of materials delivered to the facility. Next, the trucks proceed to the tipping floor where they dump their materials. Items are dumped in specific areas to facilitate the sorting process.
After the different materials are dumped on the tipping floor at the MRF, they are fed onto the main conveyor belt which is then directed to several sorting areas. Non-recyclables are removed in the first sorting process. The recycable materials then move on to first series of disk screens. These disks push certain materials to certain areas. The materials then proceed up the different conveyor belts and are subject to both manual and automatic sorts. Individuals manually remove any large objects such as a lawn chair or garbage can (it is amazing what is found sometimes!), along with any contaminants (for example, paper contaminates will be pulled out if it is a glass/cans/plastic sorter). View the video to see the sorting in action.
Once the materials are sorted, they are compressed into bales that are shipped to processors around the globe, who will then use these materials to create new products.
The bales of materials coming out of the material recovery facility are processed into raw materials, which will be used to create new items. Plastics can be recycled into items such as clothing, lumber, park benches, and playground equipment. Metal and glass containers are often recycled into new containers, and paper is recycled into new paper products, such as copy paper, toilet paper, napkins, and newspaper. Remember to close the recycling loop: buy recycled both at home and at work, as this is the only way that recycling truly succeeds. Find out more about buying recycled products. Remember: if you’re not buying recycled, you’re not really recycling!
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