|  In
Salinas, BFI customers mix all recyclable items in the same container.
This is called a co-mingled or mixed recycling system. The materials recovery
facility (MRF) is where the mixed recycling is emptied from the trucks
and sorted into groups, such as plastics, glass and paper. The MRF has
a machine that sorts the recycling almost all by itself. Sure, there are
people pulling out unwanted materials like garbage and other non-recyclable
items, but the sorting process is mainly done by conveyor belt and air
suction! Take a tour of the A & S Metals MRF and see how your recycling
is sorted, baled and sold to companies who will make the USED items into
brand NEW items!
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|
 These
items are commonly purchased by families like yours everyday. You take
them home, you eat the goodies inside and then you are left with empty
containers. Now what should you do with them? |
|
 You
should recycle them! Make sure that any packaging – like a cereal
box or plastic bottle are recyclable (see recyclable
items list) – and then place them in your BFI recycling container.
Be sure that each item is free of food or any other type of non-recyclable
waste. |
|
 On
your waste collection day, the blue and white BFI recycling truck will
empty your recycling container and drive out to the MRF. |
|
 Once
at the MRF – A & S Metals in Castroville, CA is where BFI takes
the recycling from Salinas – the recycling truck dumps all the recycling
it has collected. The trucks usually dump anywhere from 7-10 times in
one day! That’s a lot of recycling, especially when each truck load
carries several tons of recycling (2,000 lbs = 1 ton). |
|
 After
the truck has emptied, it leaves and the sorting process begins. This
machine picks up large amounts of the mixed recycling and releases it
onto a conveyor belt, which will move the materials up to be sorted. |
|
 As
the recycled items travel through the MRF machine, the different materials
are sorted into their own separate bins. As the materials move across
the conveyor belt, workers move quickly to remove garbage and non-recyclable
items before it reaches what is called the first screen process. In the
first screen process, airflow is used to separate the light paper from
the heavier cardboard, plastic, metals and glass. The paper remains on
the conveyor belt and shoots out into a pile on the floor of the MRF,
while the heavier items fall to a second screening process. |
|
 Heavier
items such as glass and aluminum and plastic are run through a second
screening process, where they are separated into their own containers.
After the cans, glass and plastic are separated, they are sold to companies
that will recycle them.
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|
 After
the materials are sorted into their individual containers, they are taken
to a baling room. The materials are dumped on the floor and pushed onto
a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt moves the materials inside a machine,
called a baler, where they formed into squares, or bales, and secured
with thick wire. The result is the stacks you see pictured here. The stacks
are loaded on large tractor trailers and taken to companies who buy the
material and recycle it into new items, like new cereal boxes or plastic
beverage containers! Glass is the only item not baled - what a mess that
would be! |
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 A&S
Metals also collects items such as old cars, buses and household appliances.
In this picture, the metal is being placed into piles, which will eventually
be baled and sent to a plant to be sheared, or cut into smaller pieces.
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