sorting plant

Facility that receives and sorts recyclable material and then delivers it to a recycling center.

nonreusable residue waste

Waste that cannot be converted into useful matter for reintroduction into the production cycle.

paper/paperboard sorting

burial

Operation of compressing waste into layers 7 to 10 feet thick, and then covering them with at least 6 in of earth.

incineration

Technique used to dispose of waste consisting of burning waste material until it is sterile; the gases released do not cause pollution.

paper/paperboard separation

Paper and paperboard are usually separated by means of suction.

baling

Paperboard and paper are compressed and wrapped separately before they are shipped to recycling plants.

recycling

Process by which waste is converted into useful raw material and reintroduced into the production cycle.

shredding

Operation of reducing plastic materials to flakes.

optical sorting

Pieces of glass are sorted by color (white, green or brown) using an optical detector.

compacting

Operation of compressing metal waste to facilitate shipment to recycling plants.

magnetic separation

It is used to separate ferrous and nonferrous metals (e.g., aluminum, copper, lead) from other waste materials.

metal sorting

separate collection

Collection of waste material sorted beforehand according to type, carried out by those who generate it (households and industry).

conveyor belt

Continuous band on which waste is unloaded.

manual sorting

glass sorting

crusher

plastics sorting