Q: What happens to my recyclables after I place the blue bin to the curbside?— Edward S. A: Millcreek Township curbside recycling is sent to Waste Management’ s single-stream Material Recovery Facility( MRF) located on Neville Island in Pittsburgh, PA. This sorting facility is equipped to sort for the following material:

All recyclables entering the Neville Island MRF are initially weighed by the truckload and then dropped into the receiving area. From there, they are scooped up and placed onto a conveyor belt headed for the first sorting station in the single-stream recycling process.

1. MANUAL PRE-SORT At this station, WM employees pull any unwanted material off the conveyor belt that cannot run through the system, which is the first step in combating contamination. Employees have pulled off a variety of unacceptable items in the past including bowling balls, Styrofoam coolers, curling irons, car parts, and couch cushions just to name a few. All of the material removed from the line will be sent to the landfill since it is considered trash or contamination.

2. FIBER SORTING WITH SIZING SCREENS Sizing screens are the next step in the process designed to remove cardboard from the conveyor belt, while another moving screen separates out the smaller remaining fiber material( paper, news print, chipboard, etc.). Unfortunately, these rotating machines become very heavily contaminated with plastic bags, wires, and other stringy material that prevents the screens from doing their job properly. At the end of each shift, Waste Management must lower employees into the screens to remove any remaining debris.

3. METALS REPELLED USING MAGNETS While lightweight fibers move over top of the screens, heavier metal and plastic containers are expected to fall through them. A magnet is then used to remove metal cans, while an eddy current repels aluminum cans. Aluminum foil, pie pans, and large metal objects like car parts are considered unacceptable materials at recycling facilities because they do not properly fall through the sizing screens as designed.

4. SEPARATING PLASTIC WITH OPTIC SORTERS After removing fiber and metal cans from the conveyor belt, plastics are last on the line. The Neville Island MRF uses optic sorters to recover plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs. Waste

Management actively sorts for # 1 and # 2 plastics, which include pop bottles, water bottles, detergent bottles, and milk jugs. All other plastic gets baled together as“ mixed plastic”. At this station along the conveyor belt, an optic sorter uses a light to identify plastic containers by its color, size, shape, structural properties and chemical composition. The computer controlling the identification process calculates the position of the desired recyclable on the belt and triggers a blast of compressed air separating it from the rest of the material on the conveyor belt.

5. QUALITY CONTROL & BALER MACHINE After all material is sorted, everything is run through a quality control check. Once material passes the visual inspection, it is on its way to be baled. Material bales weigh between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds and are predominately the way recycling facilities ship material to end users.

In recent years, reports have shown rising rates in contamination coming in through recycling. It is important, now more than ever, that good quality recyclables are sent to the Neville Island MRF for processing. By keeping trash out of the recycling stream, Waste Management is able to ensure that their recycling systems are capturing excellent material that can be made in to new products ultimately closing the loop on recycling.

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To have your recycling questions answered by Millcreek’ s Recycling Coordinator, please submit an email to jstutzman @ millcreektownship. com or call 814.833.1111 ext. 317.

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