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By clicking on the following link you can see what happens to the materials in your blue bin, in a Recycling Presentation (SWF, 4.33Mb). (Note that this is a very large file, and that you will need Macromedia ShockWave Player installed on your PC.)
The photographs and descriptions below explain how the co-mingled material from your blue bin is sorted into the separate materials so that it can be reused.
Stage 1 Pre-Sort
Materials are tipped form the lorry. They are loaded into a bag breaker to break up recyclables contained in plastic bags and then onto a conveyor belt. The materials are then pre-sorted manually. Any black bags are removed and large pieces of cardboard are separated.
Stage 2 Trommel
The conveyor takes the material into a large rotating drum (a trommel). Here the materials are sorted by weight.
The light materials - primarily paper are transported via one conveyor belt whilst the heavier items are on a different belt where they pass through a ballistic separator and a fibre sort.
Stage 3 Manual Sort
Teams of Sorting Operatives remove the non-recyclable items from the belts such as carrier bags, nappies, food waste and film. These non-recyclable items are then sent to landfill. The sorting operatives also ensure that the conveyor belt for paper is of a high quality, and ready for baling.
Stage 4 Overband Magnet
Materials pass under a large rotating magnet that attracts the steel items. The steel items are transported along a separate belt for baling.
Stage 5 Eddy Current
The remaining aluminium and mixed plastic is then separated by an eddy current. The aluminium cans are baled
Stage 6 Plastic Separation
The last materials left to be sorted are the plastics. Plastics are produced in large number of formats. They are generally marked somewhere with a symbol to show what type they are. The most common types of plastic that can be recycled are PET, HDPE & PVC. The MRF uses a hi-tech camera recognition system to separate the different types of plastic.
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