THE RECYCLING JOURNEY – Anoka Recycling

WHAT HAPPENS TO…

TIRES?

Tires can be recycled into a variety of products. The materials in the tires are separated out: metal is melted down to be used as a raw material, and the rubber can be reused in a variety of applications. These applications include: solid rubber tires such as casters, wheels for toys & lawnmowers, artificial turfs, asphalt, filler, rubber bands, automobile belts and more.

PLASTIC BOTTLES?

Plastic bottles can be turned into new containers for beverages, salad dressing and household cleaning products. It can also become the fabric in your clothes, the fiberfill in your coat, and the upholstery and carpeting around your house. The thicker plastic bottles, often used for juice, are turned into sturdier products like plastic lumber, patio furniture, roadside curbs, benches and truck cargo liners. It’s also used to make recycling bins!!

WOOD SCRAP?

Wood is a very sustainable material that is easily recycled into a variety of new uses and applications. These include: flooring, composite woods & laminates, mulch, paper, furniture, chip board, fibre board, animal bedding, recycled plywood etc.

GLASS?

Recycled glass is primarily used to make new containers, highway marking beads and the glass sand used to purify water. Recycled glass bottles can also be turned into countertops, flooring, tile, landscaping stones and bricks.

OLD MATTRESSES?

The springs in your mattress can be sold as scrap to be melted and poured into new steel components. About 70% of the foam in mattresses can be ground and reused in carpet underlayment and moving pads. Cotton fiber can be mixed with wood fiber, carded and used in engine oil filters. Most wood can be chipped and used as landscape mulch and stuffing for pet beds.

SCRAP METAL?

Scrap metals such as aluminum, steel, lead, bronze, copper, iron, tin, zinc & magnesium can easily be recycled for use in new products and materials. Metals are sorted with magnets, shredded, and melted down to be turned into raw materials. The great thing about metals is that there is no limit to the number of times they can be recycled. It is especially beneficial to recycle products containing metal because many metal containing products also contain dangerous chemicals that can leak into the ground and water system, posing risks to both the environment and our health. The recycling of metals also significantly reduces the amount of energy used to produce new products, saving on greenhouse emissions.