Paper/Cardboard
The number one most recycled material in the United States is paper and cardboard! It also has the most established end markets for reuse.
Processing
Once your recyclables get collected, they have to be sorted and cleaned. In most cases, this happens at a MRF. From there, each type of material goes its separate way to the appropriate processing facility. Sometimes the sorting, cleaning and processing happens all in the same place. It all depends on where you live and which company is handling the material. Below we’ve broken down the different processing methods for common recyclables.
Aluminum
From soda cans to car parts, Aluminum is in a lot of different products and is the most valuable recyclable material for manufacturers to reuse.
Glass
Infinitely recyclable and reusable, Glass is often removed from single-stream recycling programs because it contaminates other materials.
Food
The material that creates the most damaging effects to our environment when landfilled is food. It’s also the only material that can be 100% recycled at home.
Plastic
Plastic is the most challenging to get recycled. There are so many different types used to make products with not nearly enough end markets in the U.S.