Recycling services

Where does my recycling go?

Everything that you recycle is put to good use.

Your recycling prevents needless use of landfill sites or incineration. You are helping to protect and improve the environment.

The recycling is collected and sent to a materials recovery facility (MRF). The rubbish is then separated by magnets and infrared sensors.

Recycled materials collected from Westminster’s micro recycling centres are sent to different processing plants for each material. Once they have been sorted, different things happen to different materials:

 

 

Paper and cardboard:

Paper and magazines are transported to Kent, Germany, other European Countries and the Far East - principally China for reprocessing. Paper is cleaned, mulched and sent to a paper-making machine where it is made into huge rolls.

Recycled paper is often used to make newsprint for daily newspapers. Higher quality paper can be used as office paper and for publications. Cardboard is mulched and remade back into cardboard packaging for businesses to use again.

Glass bottles and jars:

Once the mixed glass is segregated, the materials are transported to Yorkshire and London for reprocessing.

Mixed glass recycling is used as an aggregate in road surfacing projects. This product is called 'glasphalt'. Westminster then uses glasphalt in some of the road resurfacing projects in the city.

Drink cans and food tins:

Steel cans are sorted and compressed for reprocessing in England and Wales and Aluminum cans are reprocessed in Birmingham. After being crushed, shredded, heated and melted, pure aluminium is sent to can manufacturers who produce new drink cans for shops. Magnets separate steel from aluminium.

Food tins made from steel are melted down to make new steel products. These can be anything from more tins, domestic appliances to yacht hulls and steel girders.

Plastic bottles:

Mixed plastic bottles are transported to Europe and the Far East for reprocessing. Plastic is generally recycled into products such as storage boxes, bins, fencing and drainpipes. Some of the more specialised products made from recycled plastic include 'eco-fleece' clothing and recycled stationery e.g. pencils.