What happens to recycled material?

Glass

Glass bottles and jars are sent to our reprocessing partner Recresco Ltd in Nottinghamshire.

 

This company has the technology to separate the different colours of glass. The separate glass is then sent to either glass manufactures that make new bottles and containers, road building contractors who use it as aggregate in new roads or to organisations that make decorative items such as beads for gardens.

 

Last year we collected approximately 400,000 glass bottles and jars, which if laid end to end would stretch from Accrington to Wigan and back again!

 

Cardboard

Once collected, the cardboard is taken to Rishton Waste Paper Mill Limited where it is recycled and used to make more cardboard boxes.

 

Last year we recycled 500 tonnes of cardboard, that’s the same weight as 50 family cars!

 

Paper

All the paper collected in Hyndburn is recycled into new newsprint by our partner Holmen Paper. The waste paper is sent to a paper mill where the ink and contaminates are removed to leave a clean pulp. The pulp is squashed between steel rollers, dried and cut into widths to make new newspapers and catalogues.

 

Last year we collected 2,500 tonnes of paper, the equivalent weight of 15 million newspapers.

 

Plastic bottles

Plastic bottles are collected and delivered to the recycling depot were we load the bottles into a compaction skip which squashes them tightly together. This reduces the volume of space needed when transporting the bottles. Each skip can be filled with approximately 60,000 bottles and when full is transported to our reprocessing partner Plastic Recovery in Preston where the different types of plastic are sorted.

 

Recycled plastic bottles can not only be made into new bottles, but also items such as fleeces, garden furniture, tables and benches.

 

Did you know it only takes 25 two litre pop bottles to make one adult size fleece jacket?

 

Cans

All our cans are sent to our reprocessing partner Plastic Recovery in Preston where they separate the steel and aluminium cans by large magnets.

 

Once separated and bailed, the aluminium cans are sent to a reprocessing factory in Warrington where they are melted down to make new cans. The steel cans are sent to merchants and other organisations that also melt them down to create new steel products.

 

Last year we collected 900 tonnes of cans and plastic, the same weight as almost 13,000 washing machines!

 

Textiles

Your textiles are exported to organisations in the Third World who sell the items on to local residents in these countries. The direct export to these local organisations ensures that the benefits of the textiles are gained by the Third World.

 

Last year we collected almost 135 tonnes of textiles, that’s the same weight as 3.5 million shirts!

 

Garden Waste

Garden waste is shredded into smaller particles and stretched out in long rows, kept at high temperatures and eventually after a number of weeks turned into a soil improver. This is used in woodlands and on brownfield sites.

 

Last year we recycled 2,100 tonnes of green waste, around the weight of 175,000 lawnmowers!