| What is recycling? It is the process by
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| | types make recycling harder. Older flats
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| which materials are collected and used as
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| | for example have only single rubbish
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| "raw" materials for new products.
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| | chute.
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| There are three steps in recycling: 1.
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| | This means that in most areas if
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| Materials are collected. 2. Materials are
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| | recycling is to be taken much above 15%
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| processed and manufactured into new
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| | to 2o%, additional separation of the
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| products. 3. Consumers purchase the goods
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| | waste will be needed. This is called
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| made with reprocessed materials.
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| | mechanical sorting, and carried out in
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| Materials are either source-separated and
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| | MRFs (Materials Recycling Facilities) and
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| collected, or collected without
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| | these may also be called MBT (Mechanical
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| segregation. The latter is often called
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| | Biological Treatment) Plants when they
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| black-bag waste, due to the colour of the
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| | include a method for biologically
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| bags used in most countries.
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| | treating the putrescible (organic)
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| Before we go any further though, we
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| | content after mechanical sorting.
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| should consider what the average typical
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| | Mechanical Sorting of Household Refuse
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| analyses of household refuse in the UK
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| | This is usually done to increase the
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| might contain. Detailed lists are
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| | proportion of material which is
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| available on the web for the contents of
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| | separated, and very many of these sorting
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| these bins and wheelies, but in short the
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| | plants will be needed in the next few
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| components can be classified as
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| | years to achieve EU targets for improved
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| putrescibles, paper, glass, plastics,
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| | and much higher recycling rates.
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| metals, textiles, unsorted fines, and
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| | Mechanical Sorting can also be undertaken
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| unclassified material
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| | to recover additional recyclable
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| The largest quantities are of paper (and
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| | materials not already separated at
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| card), and putrescible fractions, and
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| | source, or simply to provide a better
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| together these contribute most of the
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| | feedstock for incineration or production
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| organic matter and moisture content of
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| | of refuse-derived fuel.
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| the waste. Plastics make up a large and
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| | Dry pulverising and screening is the most
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| increasing proportion of the volume.
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| | common to provide a crude separation into
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| Another contributor to waste is Household
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| | an oversize combustible "paper and
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| Recycling Centre or Civic Amenity Site
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| | plastics" fraction and an undersize
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| waste. Civic amenity waste contains large
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| | "putrescible and glass" fraction for
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| and variable proportions of wood and
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| | anaerobic digestion or conventional
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| garden wastes, building rubble, furniture
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| | composting. Wet pulverising will direct
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| and miscellaneous large objects.
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| | more of the paper into the "putrescible
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| Source Separation
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| | and glass" fraction.
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| Source separation recycling schemes are
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| | Density separations and
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| the lowest cost, and most sustainable and
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| | air-classification techniques can further
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| are preferred. They are likely to
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| | separate and concentrate the heavy glass
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| concentrate on the easily recognisable
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| | and light plastics to provide improved
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| metal, glass and plastics fractions to
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| | materials recovery and a wider range of
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| provide clean feedstocks for recycling.
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| | recovered products, and there is a
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| Together for household waste these can be
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| | "trade-off" between product quality and
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| assumed to comprise about a quarter of
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| | the yield of any selected fraction.
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| the wet weight and a similar proportion
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| | Conclusion
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| of the dry weight of the refuse.
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| | There is a rapidly increasing demand for
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| The paper fraction comprises mostly
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| | expansion of the waste industry, and even
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| newsprint, which is easily separated but
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| | if the public do their best to recycle,
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| difficult to recycle economically as
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| | we will have to carry out more and more
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| there tends to be more paper available
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| | sophisticated waste separation as the
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| from recycling than is used by industry.
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| | target rates rise. This will be achieved
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| The glut which results depresses the
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| | by source separation and by mechanical
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| value of the recycled material.
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| | separation techniques in facilities
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| So, source separation will only be
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| | called MRFs and MBT Plants. In fact these
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| effective for a proportion of the wastes,
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| | plants will include a wide variety of
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| and it will not be suitable everywhere.
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| | processes of which we have only touched
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| Some inner city areas find that certain
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| | the tip of the iceberg in this article,
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| groups of people are reluctant to
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| | and which are described in detail at
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| participate in recycling, no matter what
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| | Waste Technology and Mechanical
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| incentives are given, and some property
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| | Biological Treatment (MBT).
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