In the United States, there are 633 material recycling centers. In these local recycling centers, the waste we generate is stored, and that has the capacity to be recycled so that other people or companies can take advantage of it. Waste that is not recycled takes many years to decompose, which pollutes and harms the health of humans and the earth.

In this sense, recycling centers are very important in the fight against environmental pollution, since they can clean, classify and pack a total of 100,000 tons of waste per day. However, the recycling centers cannot do all the work, the waste must have a correct treatment from the consumer, who must separate and clean the waste so that it can be classified correctly in the center and later sent to factories for transformation or processors.

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

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.

Glass is infinitely recyclable, so it is critical to deposit it in the right place and prevent it from ending up in landfills, since glass never degrades and affects diversity and the environment if it is not treated correctly. Most of the glass found in landfills comes from discarded beverage bottles. In the United States, according to EPA data, the recycling rate for glass bottles is only 31.3%.

The best way to recycle glass bottles is to take them to local recycling centers, where you can even get paid for your bottle recycling. In most of these centers the price they pay per pound of glass is 0.1 USD/LB.

Also, recycling glass saves tons of natural resources, such as sand, soda ash, limestone, and feldspar. Recycling glass also reduces carbon dioxide emissions, as the glass from recycled bottles melts at a lower temperature than virgin materials, which means less energy consumption in the production of new bottles.

The fashion industry has become the second most polluting in the world, only behind the big oil companies. The environmental impact of the textile industry extends throughout its “commercial ecosystem”: from production, distribution, and exhibition to acquisition, care, and washing processes and, finally, its disposal. In the United States, more than 12 million tons of clothing are dumped in landfills annually.

Clothing and textiles are 100% recyclable, but only 15% are recycled in the United States. To recycle clothing, it is best to first consider whether it can have a second life and if so, give it away, donate it or take it to a second-hand store, always clean and dry to prevent the spread of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

When it comes to clothes that are already in very poor condition or pieces of fabric that can no longer be reused, it is best to take them to a collection point that accepts this type of waste. At recycling centers for textiles, clothing is turned into fiber and used to make new products, such as padding, rubber-coated playgrounds, and some materials for the automotive industry.