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.

Not all the containers we consume are recyclable, even those that may seem so, that is why sometimes the local recycling center does not accept all the waste we carry. For example, while plastic bottles are the most widely recycled plastic products, not all bottles are made from the same plastic and their acceptance varies depending on the capabilities of each local recycling center.

In addition, the recycling services can reject your waste for recycling because it is dirty or contaminated since this means that it can no longer be recycled. Another reason facilities may reject materials is because of their shape, since some objects can damage the machinery, such as hooks. Other items that you cannot deposit in the recycling centers are:

• Syringes
• Bowling balls
• Aerosol cans that are not empty
• Plastic bags
• Batteries
• Diapers
• Electronics
• Ceramics

Plastic bags are one of the most difficult types of plastic waste to recycle, mainly because they are single-use bags and in most curbside recycling programs they are not accepted. This is a huge issue for the environment as 100 billion plastic bags are used every year in the US alone.

The best way to recycle plastic bags is to take them to local grocery stores, or big box stores like Target or Walmart, which have specific bins for this type of plastic, or you can search for plastic bag recycling locations near you at: www.plasticfilmrecycling.org

It is essential to wash and dry all plastic waste, including single-use bags, before depositing them in the recycling, because if the bags contain food scraps, or some other source of bacteria, they contaminate the entire batch in which they are deposited, and cannot be recycled.

Electronic waste, also known as e-waste, is all parts of electronic devices or broken devices, such as household appliances, televisions, electric stoves, air conditioners, microwaves, radios, computers, mobile phones, batteries, hard drives, motherboards, circuits, monitors, etc., that we discard.

Most e-waste contains a series of highly polluting materials, including heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, lead, chromium, arsenic or antimony, which not only harm the environment, but are also highly dangerous for human health.

The best way to dispose of electronic waste is by recycling. Electronic waste contains precious metals including gold, silver, copper, platinum, and palladium, as well as significant amounts of iron, aluminum, and plastics, which can be recycled. Giving away electronic devices that are no longer needed is always the best option, but if it is a product that cannot be repaired, it is important to deposit it at a local recycling center that accepts electronic waste. Recycling centers reclaim many of the materials from which these products are made, including plastics, glass, metal, and aluminum that can be recovered and reused in new electronics.

Scrap recycling is one of the least popular in the United States even though most metals can be recycled and there are even some that have a high market value. The recycling of scrap metal is very important since by reusing metals we mitigate the exploitation of minerals, which are a limited resource, and their extraction generates a significant amount of greenhouse gasses.

Most of the waste can be left in the local recycling centers and received payment for it, in this way we avoid this waste ends up in landfills, where it would take hundreds of years to degrade.

Some of the metals that can be sold at recycling centers are copper (which is the best-valued metal on the market), aluminum, brass, lead, iron, and bronze. You can find these materials in all kinds of household waste such as; wires, pipes, kitchen sinks, food cans, soda cans, window frames, door locks, chandeliers and hinges, old jewelry, children’s toys, lamps, and tools.

Although almost most of the metals are recycled, some cannot be reused or that recycling centers do not receive, such as those used for paint or toxic products, some pipes, clothes hangers, and metal scraps, so it’s always best to check directly with your local recycling center.