Guidelines on recycling

Below are outlined guidelines on recycling that will help you whether you choose to do kerbside recycling or you personally deliver recyclable materials to the recycling centres.

Accepted Materials

The following materials are accepted at the Recycling Centre without restriction. Asterisks (*) indicate the items which are also eligible for kerbside collection.

For items eligible for kerbside collection, please note that packaging requirements and/or restrictions before leaving materials out for pickup. Additionally, recyclables left for kerbside collection must be placed in metal or plastic containers only.

Batteries:

           Alkaline batteries such as AAA, AA, C, D and 9-volt batteries now fall below federal and state hazardous waste standards and should be thrown out with your household trash. Rechargeable batteries must be recycled. Drop-off boxes are located at the Recycling Centre and Health Department. Lead-acid car and motorcycle batteries will be accepted at the Recycling Centre. Button batteries still contain hazardous elements such as mercury and should be disposed of at a household hazardous waste event. They will not be accepted at the Recycling Centre.

Books:

Books are now accepted at the Recycling Centre and require no special handling. If your books are in good shape, consider donating them to a library. If your books are not added to the collection, they will be inventoried as stock for the library’s next book sale. All proceeds benefit the library and therefore, the community. Also, think about shelters, schools and religious organizations,books almost always have another life.

Branches:

Basic yard debris. Maximum acceptable branch size is 4 feet long by 4 inches in diameter. Branches that meet specified size requirements are accepted at the Recycling Centre year-round. There should be no stumps.

Cans*:

Aluminium (soda) and tin/steel (tuna) food and beverage cans. Remove lids and rinse clean. No paint/aerosol cans, pie plates or aluminium foil. Okay to co-mingle with glass and plastic at the Recycling Centre and for kerbside collection.

Cardboard and Chipboard*:

All corrugated paper materials, chipboard (cereal boxes, pizza boxes, and gift box, no waxed chipboard, as in orange juice cartons). Flatten, bundle and tie securely with cord (no tape or metal wire). Only corrugated cardboard and chipboard go in the compactor at the Recycling Centre. kerbside pickup rules are different. It is okay to co-mingle chipboard, mixed paper and brown paper bags. Maximum bundle weight: 50 lbs.

Clothing, Toys and Household Goods:

Non-profit drop-boxes are next to the attendant’s office. If the boxes are full, please notify the attendant. Do not leave food donations in these boxes.

Electronic Waste:

A drop-off receptacle for the disposal of home electronics is now available at the Recycling Centre. Accepted electronics include the following: televisions, computers, monitors, laptops, computer peripherals such as keyboards and mice, fax machines, VCRs and radios. Absolutely no kerbside collection.

Fluorescent Lights:

Unbroken lights only. See recycling attendant for proper disposal.

Glass*:

Clear, green/blue & brown beverage and food containers. No drinking glasses, ceramic dinnerware, crystal, light bulbs, plate, window glass, mirrors or lab (test tubes) glass. Remove caps and neck rings; rinse clean. They be co-mingle with plastic and cans at the Recycling Centre and for kerbside collection.

Grass Clippings:

Grass clippings may be dropped off at the Recycling Centre on weekends only. No other lawn debris. Put in containers (bags, garbage cans). Must bring to Recycling Centre; no kerbside collection.

Mercury Thermometers:

Glass thermometers containing mercury may be disposed of at the Health Department which has a receptacle for the collection of this common household item.

Mixed Paper*:

Newspapers, junk mail, telephone directories, catalogs, wrapping paper, magazines, books. computer paper, envelopes and card stock can also be accepted. These go in a specially designated container at the Centre. Okay to co-mingle kerbside collection: Place in recycling container or doubled brown bags and cross-tie with cord (no tape or metal wire); okay to include chipboard and brown bags. Secure mixed paper appropriately; you are responsible for retrieving loose paper. Do not use plastic bags, wire or tape to secure mixed paper. Maximum container/bundle weight: 50 lbs.

Motor Oil:

All kinds accepted. Transport in appropriate containers.

Plastic*:

Pourable plastic (mouth is smaller than the base) #1 and #2 containers only. Please, no tubs (ice cream/ butter/yogurt), motor oil or antifreeze bottles, any petroleum products, plastic bags, toys or trays. Remove caps, rinse clean and flatten. Okay to co-mingle with cans and glass at the Recycling Centre and for kerbside collection.

Scrap Metal:

Lawn chair frames, filing cabinets, tools, window frames, metal railings, nails, metal hangers, and some small appliances. Strip all non-metal materials. Consult with Recycling Centre attendants before leaving any scrap material. Must bring to Recycling Centre; no kerbside collection.

Tires*:

Automobile, truck and bike tires. Remove steel rims. Limit 4 per resident if bringing to the Recycling Centre; kerbside collection is limit 1 per pickup.

White Goods*:

Large household appliances (stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers etc.). No special handling required. kerbside collection is available year-round by advance arrangement. To have one or more of these items removed, all you need to do is call the Health Department.

Ineligible Materials

Ineligible materials are simply those that are not recycled and are safe to include with regular household trash. Please note, however, that the following types of containers must be completely empty before being disposed of: motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, kerosene and latex paint.

Materials Prohibited for recycling are

These Items are not accepted at the Recycling Centre.

• asbestos
• automobile fluids
• button batteries
• construction materials
• driveway sealer/tar
• gasoline
• herbicides
• insulation
• kerosene
• oil-based paints/stains
• pesticides
• pool chemicals
• propane tanks
• siding
• smoke detectors

Additional Information

Latex Paint:

Latex paint is not considered a hazardous waste, nor is it recyclable. It may be disposed of. If there is little paint left in the cans, open them and let them dry completely. The empty cans may then be thrown out with your regular trash. There are products on the market that will speed the drying process. You can also mix the leftover paint with kitty litter and put into a plastic bag. Mixture must be almost solid.

Glass recycling

Recycling glass is a simple but hugely beneficial process. Below are the 10 steps to recycling glass.

1.       Raw materials

Modern glass containers are manufactured using very precise, complex and highly controlled technology. However, the raw materials used are simple and abundant.

The four main ingredients:

       I.            Recycled glass

     II.            Sand

  III.            Soda ash

  IV.            Limestone

As much recycled glass is used as possible as this enables the other materials to melt at a lower temperature. The colour of the glass is controlled by the iron content and the addition of minor colouring agents.

Even though basic ingredients are used in vast quantities, accurate weighing and mixing to achieve precise proportions is absolutely critical. This procedure is carried out electronically in the batch house which supplies the mix to the furnace.

A typical furnace within the glass container industry will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year producing around 300 tonnes of glass a day. This production of glass is continuous for the furnaces’ lifetime of approximately 10 years.

Up to 90% recycled glass is mixed with raw materials and fed into the furnace where the recycled glass remelt s and becomes pure and pristine again.

2.     Glass container making

The glass is cut into ‘’gobs’’. These are individual pieces which are literally fired down into the forming machine. Within seconds the glass is pressed and blown into shape within a mould and emerges as a glass bottle jar or jar.

Each and every container is subjected to a rigorous series of quality checks which includes:

§  Automatic online, wall thickness inspection

§  Squeeze testing

§  Sealing surface inspection

§  Side wall scanning

§  Base scanning

At intervals a sample of the containers being produced is taken aside for dimensional checks, capacity checks and pressure testing. If any problems are found in production since the last check, it set aside for further inspection. This procedure is followed until the production again passes the tests.

The data from online and offline quality checks is fed continuously back to the ‘hot –end’ forming machine operators who can then make adjustments to remove the problem at the source.

Each container has a series of dots moulded into the in sweep which create a code number when ready by the online inspection machines. This quickly highlights any bottle faults being seen and faults in the mould which is creating it.

3.     Transportation to retailers     

The bottles and jars are filled with food and drinks and taken to retailers such as supermarkets where they are sold to consumers.

Many bottles of beer, spirits and soft drinks are direct to retailers such as pubs, restaurants and night clubs where they are sold to consumers.

4.     Use at home

The rest of the glass is taken home by consumers who eat or drink the products inside the bottles or jars.

They then make a crucial decision, do they throw it in the bin or take it to the recycling bank?.  If they throw it away it will go to landfill where it will stay forever, never breaking down. If they take it to be recycled, the whole cycle will begin again and the glass can go on being recycled again and again – forever.

5.     Dumping glass

Any glass which is put into the rubbish bin will go into landfill with all the other waste.

6.     Glass collection

Glass can be recycled at glass bank all over the country. Glass bank has always been colour separated. A small number are now being switched to mixed glass. It may not be possible for the industry to colour separate glass collected mixed from recycling banks, to get the maximum value and environmental benefit glass bank must remain colour separated.

Kerbside collection schemes make it easier and more convenient for the public to recycle their glass. In areas which introduce kerbside, the glass recycling rate usually doubles. It’s unfortunate that just few houses has kerbside collections of glass, this calls for a rapid  increase in order to meet glass recycling targets.

Glass collected at the kerbside is usually colour separated on the vehicle or is sold as mixed glass for colour separation or for use in alternative markets. Glass which is collected co – mingled is usually separated at a material recycling facility but is generally suitable only for low value markets.

7.     Commercial collection

Glass from pubs and clubs is usually collected colour separated in wheeled bins, but often it is collected in the mixed bins because of lack of space.

Where glass is collected mixed it can be colour separated and used within the container industry. This is happening now and will grow in the future as more collection in the pubs and clubs are established.

8.     Removing contaminants

Recycled glass contains contaminants which must be removed before the recycle glass is used to make new containers. Metal, paper, plastic, organics and pyro-ceramic must all be removed. This is done using manual inspection and high-tech equipment utilising metal detectors, vacuums, crushers, screens, lasers, digital cameras and even x-rays to detect and remove contamination.

Some recycling plants have colour separation facilities which use manual inspection and digital scanning cameras to separate glass which have been collected in mixed colour form. There is limited capacity for this process, which requires high levels of investment and produces relatively high waste levels. However, this technology will grow and is essential in making the most of glass recycling.

9.     Container making

Once the recycled glass has been cleaned and prepared it is mixed with raw materials and the whole process begins again.

This cycle can be repeated an infinite number of times and the quality of the glass will never deteriorate. Each time bottles and jars go round this cycle they generate environmental benefits:

§  345 kwh of energy is saved for every tonne used

§  225kg of CO2 is saved for every tonne used.

§  1.2 tonnes of raw materials quarrying is saved for every tonne used

§  1 tonne  of landfill  is saved for every tonne used

100% of recycled glass can be used to make new glass bottles and jars, without any loss in quality. Glass containers made with high levels of recycled glass are as pure and clear as those made solely from virgin raw materials. Green bottles are made with up to 90% recycled glass content. If more glass was recycled, recycling rates for all glass could be increased.

Alternative uses

Once the container industry has used around 350,000 tonnes each year other alternative markets are made available, such as:

§  Water filtration

§  Fluxing agents in bricks and clay pipes

§  Shot blasting

§  Aggregates

While these uses are much more beneficial than landfill they are less environmentally beneficial than close loop recycling into containers, for example even after all the transport has been taken into account , use in close loop container making is 50 times more beneficial to the environment than use in aggregates.

However, without alternate markets such as aggregates the extra green glass that is collected will undermine the value of all glass collection.

SCRAP METAL RECYCLING

Scrap is used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicle, building supplies, and surplus materials. It is always confused with waste, but the fact is that scrap has significant monetary value. Overall, the scrap industry processes more than 145,000,000 short tons.

How Scrap is Processed

The sources of scrap metal can be from businesses and homes as well.  To properly dispose of it, a ‘’scraper’’ will advertise his services to conveniently remove scrap metal for people who don’t need it, or need to get rid of it.

Scrap is often brought to a wrecking yard, it also known as scrap yard, Jung yard or breakers yard where it is processed for later melting into products. Depending on the location of a wrecking yard, it may allow to browse their lot and purchase items before they are sent to the smelters. Although many scrap yard that deal in large quantities of scrap usually do not, often selling the entire units such as engine or machinery by weight with no regard to their functional status. Customers are typically required to supply all of their own tools and labour to extract parts, and some scrap yards may first require waiving liability for personal injury before entering. Many scrap yards also sell bulk metals by weight, often at prices substantially below the retail purchasing costs of similar pieces.

Scrap yards typically sell everything by weight, rather than by item. To the scrap yard, the primary value of the scrap is what the smelter will give them for it, rather than the value of whatever shape the metal may be. An auto wrecker in the other hand, would price exactly the same scrape based on what it weighs. Typically, if a wrecker cannot sell something above the value of the metal in it, they would then take it to the scrap yard and sell it by weight. Equipments containing parts of various metals can often be purchased at a prize below that of either of the metals, due to saving the scrap yard the labour of separating the metals before shipping them to be recycled.

Importance of recycling scrap metals

Recycling scrap metals can be beneficial to the environment .Using recycled scrap metal in place of virgin iron ore can yield,

§  75% savings in energy

§  90% savings in raw materials used

§  86% reduction in air pollution

§  40% reduction in water use

§  76% reduction in water pollution

§  79% reduction in mining wastes

Every tonne of new steel made from scrap steel saves:

§  1,115kg of iron ore

§  625kg of coal

§  53kg of limestone

Energy saving from other metals includes:

§  Aluminium savings of 95% energy

§  Copper savings of 85% energy

§  Lead savings of 65% energy

§  Zinc savings of 60% energy.

PAPER RECYCLING

Paper is made from cellulose fiber, the source of which can be pulped wood, or variety of other materials such as rags, cotton, grasses, sugar cane, straw, waste paper or even elephant dung. It is one of the most versatile and important materials used in homes, schools, offices and business throughout the world. Each day we enjoy the benefits of paper products. The paper we use for homework and business purposes, the documents that mark the significant achievements of our lives, the newspaper we read in the morning, and the box that holds our cereal, all contribute to our daily quality of life.

Paper dates back over 2,000 years, they were using hand made production methods until the 19^th century. The industrialization of the paper making process help to bring education and books to a broad spectrum of people, and continued advances have resulted in better and more efficient products that meets our daily needs, while leaving a smaller footprint on our environment.

Paper recycling is the process of getting waste paper and turning it into new paper products. There are three categories of paper that can be used as feedstock for making recycled paper, these are; mill broke pre-consumer waste and pos-consumer waste.

Mill Broke: These are paper trimmings and other paper scrap from the manufacture of paper, and is recycled internally in a paper mill.

Pre-Consumer Waste: These are waste materials which left the paper mill but were discarded before they were ready for consumer use.

Post-Consumer Waste: These are materials discarded after consumer use, such as old corrugated containers, old magazines, old newspapers, office paper, old telephone directories, and residential mixed paper. Paper suitable for recycling is called “scrap paper”. The industrial process of removing printing ink from paper fibers of recycled paper to make de-ink pulp is called de-inking.

Paper is one of the easiest materials to recycle. We all take part in the first step of paper recycling process and this is achieved when we take the time to separate our paper and place it in the recycling box.

·        The next step is achieved when the local authorities and waste management companies send a recycling truck over to pick up the paper and bring it to the processing facilities.

·        After the above step comes the sorting. The paper is placed on a moving conveyor to be sorted by hand because there are different grades of recycled paper.

·        Once the paper has been sorted it is then baled to make the transport and storage more convenient.

·        The paper is then delivered to a processing mill.

PROCESSING

·        At the processing mill, the paper is soaked in water. It is then shaken to release the fibers to return them to their pulp state. 

·        The paper is then screened, cleaned and de-inked, it is important to de-ink at this stage, if not we will be left with a dull, grey paper. There are three ways to de -ink;

I-Chemicals are added to the water to separate the ink from the pulp and then huge quantities of water are added to flush out this ink.

II- Air is short through the pulp. This process creates foam containing about half of the ink. The foam is then skimmed off leaving clearer water. This process breaks down water and oxygen on disposal, so it is the most acceptable.

III- The pulp is bleached using hydrogen peroxide or chlorine. This process is less acceptable since the chlorine combines with organic matter to produce toxic pollutants.

 

·        It is then ready to be made into new paper products such as newsprints, cardboard, packaging, tissue and office items.

The process in recycling of paper which involves changing old paper into new paper requires a significant amount of energy. From the de-ink process above water and chemical are used, but these amount are much less than they would be in the manufacture of virgin paper. Unfortunately, the same paper cannot be recycled indefinitely. Each time the fibers are pulped, they get shorter and shorter and lose their paper making qualities. A fiber can be recycled four to six times before it disintegrates. The quality of paper produced will vary depending on the percentages of recycled and virgin paper used in its production.

By recycling paper, we help save our forest from being destroyed while at the same time we help cut down on the environmental damage caused when we turn trees into paper.

RECYCLING OLD CDs

If you can remember when CDs first came out, we all thought they were practically indestructible. Not like records or tapes (which tangled and snagged).But CDs do get scratched and unreadable. And you do get CDs filled with old files that you no longer need, or even CDs that are out of date or contain music that you now can't stand. Instead of disposing them in a bin,you can recycle them and do it creatively. Pick up a CD and hold it in the light. Look at it with a child's eye or an artist's eye (or even a jackdaw's). At times, it's silvery and almost mirror like. At other angles, it's iridescent. It's made of lightish plastic that can be cut with a stout craft knife or a small saw, it can be drilled easily and epoxy and hot melt glue both stick to it very well.

These days, using recycled materials as a fashion statement is becoming more and more common. And old CDs have a lot of potential for craft and for fashionable accessories.

Mirror balls: Whether you want one for mood lighting or for a disco party, you can make your own with old CDs. First of all, you will need a ball of some description - a ball of (hopefully recycled) polystyrene is best, but any ball that can take glue (epoxy or hot melt) will do. You will also need to be able to attach a wire securely to the ball so you can hang it up when you're finished. Cut your old CDs up into pieces (don't try and stick them on whole) and glue them all over the ball. Let the glue set. These are even better, in some ways, than the old mirror balls, as old CDS can cast a rainbow effect.

Jewellery: CDs resemble mother-of-pearl somewhat, and are easier to obtain and to work. Cut them up and make them into necklaces, earrings, bracelets and keyrings. As long as you have a sturdy enough knife, a drill to make fine holes in them and something to thread them on (bead shops and craft shops are a good place to source things such as earring fittings, clasps and keyrings, plus things like leather thongs and chains. The only limit here is the number of old CDs you want to reuse and your imagination. Using whole CDs as feature elements on a rather glitzy belt might be a bit over the top. How about cutting some into small circles and making buttons or sequins? If you've tried belly-dancing, how about decorating a coin belt or other parts of a costume with pieces of CDs? How about completely covering a shirt with old CDs for a fancy-dress party?

Even if you're not into glittery jewellery or disco mirror balls, you can find a use for old CDs in your garden. Remember the old technique of keeping birds away from a seed bed or from a fruit tree by hanging up bits of aluminum foil (such as milk bottle tops) on string? CDs, either whole or in pieces, can be put to this sort of use. Old CDs have one big advantage over bits of aluminum, as they are more durable and don't tear off as easily as flimsy aluminum bits do.

Old CDs can also be cut into pieces (shaped, if you like) and made into a mobile to hang above a baby's crib. You could also incorporate them into a wind-chime, either as glittery elements or as things that strike little bells or tubes.

Old CDs can be used whole or in pieces as Christmas tree decorations. Either use them "as is" or decorate them further. With the use of a jig-saw, CDs can be cut into shapes (stars, flowers, etc) and used in scrapbooking. Small squares or slivers of CDs can be glued onto a picture frame in a mosaic effect.

If you're really good with your hands, you could even use pieces of old CDs as decorative insets in woodwork. If you can do it with mother of pearl or shell, you can do it with old CDs.



Understanding Waste Recycling

When waste is not properly managed it can damaged the environment and also cause loss of valuable resources that could be put to better use, thereby saving business and consumer money. Waste that is not disposed properly is known as litter. Biological waste is any unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, examples of this waste are urea, feces and sweat, Modern System Management defined waste into the following category:

1.      Hazardous waste which includes industrial waste.

2.     Special hazardous waste also includes radioactive waste, explosive waste and E-waste.

3.     Biomedical waste, this includes clinical waste, and lastly,

4.     Municipal waste which also include household waste, commercial waste and demolition waste.

Now to explain what recycling is all about. Recycling is defined as a process of changing used material i.e. waste into new products to prevent the disposal of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for conventional disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emission as compared to virgin production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction.

Recycling of a material will give rise to a fresh product of that material. Let’s properly look at some of the examples of recycling, glass bottles that are crushed, melted and remolded into bottles, many carton boxes are recovered from waste and resold as useful carton boxes, used office paper will be turned into new office paper, used foam polystyrene into new polystyrene.

The truth is that most waste materials could be recycled; there are some challenges to recycling of waste. To find buyers for the waste of one producer, who will consider the waste as a resource. Another is that, recycling can be difficult or too expensive compare to producing a new product from the raw material or other sources. Critics dispute the net economic and environmental benefits of recycling over it costs and they suggest that proponents of recycling often make matters worse and suffer from confirmation bias. Critics also argue that the costs and energy used in collection and transportation outweigh the costs and energy saved in production process, also that the jobs produced by the recycling industry can be a poor trade for the job lost in logging, miming and other industries associated with virgin production. Proponent of recycling disputes each of these claims, and the validity of arguments from both sides has led to enduring controversy.