Where does it go?
Have you ever wondered what happens to your recycling materials after you have left them out for collection or deposited them in the recycling bank?
Here's what happens to materials currently collected (2021/22) for re-processing from recycling and re-use centres, household and flats recycling and neighbourhood recycling sites.
|
Material |
Destination |
Recycling process used |
Recycling end-product |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cans/aerosols/foil |
Jeremy Mark Freeth, Swindon, Wiltshire |
Smelting |
Food and drink cans, aerosols, foil |
|
Cardboard |
N&P Crayford MRF Ltd |
Shredded |
Cardboard packaging, green-living products such as biodegradable coffins |
|
Cooking oil |
Living Fuels, Guildford |
Re-formulation |
Bio-diesel |
|
Engine oil |
Safety Kleen UK Ltd, Bedford |
Re-formulation |
Refined Fuel Oil (RFO) used in the running of steel works |
|
Fluorescent tubes |
Mercury Recycling Ltd, Manchester |
Re-used |
New fluorescent tubes |
|
Food waste |
Bio Collectors, Mitcham |
Anaerobic digestion |
Fertilizer and energy production |
|
Fridges and freezers |
European Metal Recycling Ltd, Warrington |
Separation techniques |
Broken down to elemental compounds such as copper, aluminium and steel |
|
Gas cylinders |
Silver Lining Industries Ltd, Leeds |
Smelting |
New gas cylinders |
|
Glass |
ING Environmental Ltd, North Yorkshire |
Crushing |
New glass bottles and jars |
|
Green waste |
Countrystyle, Elstree Countrystyle, Watford West London Composting, Uxbridge |
Composting |
High grade compost |
|
Household and car batteries |
G&P Batteries Ltd, Walsall, West Midlands |
Separation Compound recovery |
Broken down to elemental compounds such as lead and zinc, depending on battery type |
|
Matresses |
Matt UK, London |
Separation |
Stripped fabric baled and used for textiles |
|
Mixed Recycling |
N&P Crayford MRF Ltd |
Separation |
New paper, cardboard, can, glass and plastic bottle products |
|
Paper |
N&P Crayford MRF Ltd |
Pulping |
Newspaper |
|
Plastics |
N&P Crayford MRF Ltd |
Melting |
Cloth manufacturing, carrier bags and sacks |
|
Scrap metal Non-ferrous metal |
BFA Recycling, Harefield |
Smelting Recovery |
Steel- based manufacturing Broken down elemental compounds such as aluminium |
|
Textiles and shoes |
Salvation Army, Wellingborough, Northants TRAID, Wembley, Middlesex European Recycling Company |
Recycled and Re-used |
Taken to developing countries Revamped and sold in UK stores
|
|
Tyres |
Environmental Tyre Disposals Ltd, Edmonton, London |
|
|
|
WEEE (small electrical appliances excluding fridges and freezers) RARC |
SWEEEP, Kent |
Separation |
Broken down to elemental compounds such as copper |
|
Christmas tree collection |
Countrystyle, Elstree Countrystyle, Watford West London Composting, Uxbridge |
Composting |
Compost |
