To make sure we’re diverting as much waste from landfills as possible, it’s important to be aware of all the products that can be sent to your local recycling centers. There are many products that, if you separate them correctly, you can send directly to your local curbside recycling program.

Even so, as this varies depending on the capacities and facilities of the collection centers, it is always better to ask directly at your local collection center.

The products that can generally be deposited in recycling centers are:

• Paper, newspapers, magazines, and mixed papers (As long as they are clean)
• Bottles of plastic (almost all types)
• Glass jars and bottles
• Rigid plastic objects
• Cans, aluminum, steel, and metal containers

Most of the local recycling centers work on a standard schedule according to their location and have a page on the internet, where you can check, what days they do not operate, what hours they serve, their address, and everything you need to know about your local recycling center.

Paper is one of the easiest materials to recycle, however, for this to happen, it must be treated correctly from the beginning of the recycling chain, that is, from the consumer. The most important thing when it comes to recycling paper is that it does not contain polluting agents, since any type of food, oil, or some other residue makes it unrecyclable and can contaminate the entire batch.

Paper that is not recycled ends up in landfills and although it degrades rapidly compared to other materials since it is not reused, it increases the exploitation of forests and trees in the manufacture of the new paper.

As for cardboard boxes or cardboard in general, which is made up of several layers of paper, it is best to give it a second use whenever possible. On the other hand, failing that, keep them clean and break them so that they can be properly treated in the local recycling centers.

Waste transfer stations or material recycling facilities are sites where recyclable materials and waste are collected. At the stations, the waste is classified and separated to later be transferred to another area or facility for recycling, demolition, or landfill. The waste transfer stations are not just another stop for our garbage, here a fundamental process is carried out to reduce pollution by waste.

Waste transfer stations reduce waste going to landfills, preventing much hazardous chemical pollution remains from ending up in landfills, plus the transfer of waste from local collection trucks to larger vehicles, such as a train or ship, reduces significantly the cost of transportation and the environmental impact of transporting garbage.

The waste that can be recycled has different destinations depending on the material in question. The waste that we deposit in the recyclable container is taken by dedicated recycling trucks to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). In these recycling centers, the waste is separated and later packed in bundles.

The waste that is not received by the recycling centers, such as plastic bags, electronic devices, or clothing (which vary in each locality and each recycling center) must be taken directly by the consumers to specific collection points so that these can be recycled.

Once separated and packaged, the recyclable materials are sent to recycling plants or processing factories that turn the waste into new products.

Recyclable waste that is not separated in the recycling container or is not taken to collection points, ends up in landfills, where, depending on its material, it can take hundreds of years to degrade or even never do so.

In the United States, only 10% of recyclable waste reaches the transformation stage, and most of it is destined for sale abroad.