Your recycling: where does it go?

We all know that recycling is a vital part of preserving our natural resources and reducing waste in landfill sites. But have you ever wondered what happens to the recyclables you get rid of?

Whether you’re wondering about the cans, bottles, and cardboard you put out for kerbside collection or the contents of your skip hire, let’s take a closer look at the Scarborough waste management journey.

The first step in the recycling process is collection. When it comes to weekly recycling, your items will be picked up by the local council or waste management company. It’s important to follow your council’s instructions on how to put your recyclables out for collection. Some might accept mixed recycling, while others ask you to separate your different materials.

In Scarborough, for example, waste disposal is straightforward — you can put mixed recyclables in your blue bin, garden waste in your brown bin, and non-recyclables in your green bin.

It’s essential to clean all recyclable materials before putting them out for collection. Contamination can mean the whole lot has to go to landfill. It’s also important to note that not all ‘recyclable’ materials can be recycled in a standard facility. Some items, such as takeaway coffee cups, may require specialist treatment.

If you’ve hired a skip, your skip hire company should collect the waste for you. At A Brunton Skip Hire, we will always pick up your filled skip and recycle as much as possible. From plastic and glass to wood and even animal bedding, we can collect your mixed skip hire waste in our trucks and take it to our state-of-the-art processing facility in Bridlington.

We also offer a car scrappage service to help you dispose of old vehicles in a sustainable and eco-conscious way.

After your recyclables have been collected (either by the council or a skip hire company), it will travel to a recycling centre. Here, the materials are sorted by type, such as paper, plastic, and metal. Depending on the facility, this task may be carried out manually or by machine.

Once the materials have been sorted, they’ll need cleaning and processing. This can involve shredding paper, crushing cans, and melting plastic.

Next, a machine will compress the processed materials into large bales. These dense blocks make it easier to transport the recyclable materials to their next destination.

Did you know that recycled materials are valuable? Manufacturers will buy bales of processed materials so they can create new products without needing to use more of the earth’s raw resources. The recycling process also uses far less energy than producing new goods.

Wondering about some examples? Lots of sustainability-minded companies are creating fantastic products from recycled materials. IKEA’s Kungsbacka kitchen unit is made from recycled plastic, for instance!

Wherever you are in the UK, recycling is an important part of reducing waste and minimising our carbon footprints. By understanding what happens to your recyclables, you can make informed decisions about how to properly recycle and reduce your impact on the environment.

At A Brunton Skip Hire, we’re committed to managing your recyclable and non-recyclable waste as sustainably as possible. Whether you’re having a small house clearance or working on a commercial project, we can help you dispose of your rubbish safely and effectively. We’ll collect all items for you and bring them to our Bridling waste management centre.

If you’re looking for eco-conscious skip hire across Bridlington and Scarborough, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the A Brunton Skip Hire team.