- Recycling centers can process a variety of items, including newspapers, aluminum cans, cardboard, tin, glass and motor oil, notes the Grays Harbor County, Washington Department of Public Services website. Recyclables that are collected by municipalities are often sorted and may be routed to different facilities for processing, according to the New York City Department of Sanitation.
- Recycled newspaper is reduced to pulp and then turned into newsprint or wrapping paper. Cardboard boxes become paper bags, and recycled aluminum cans are rolled into sheets which can be used for products including auto bodies, according to the Grays Harbor County website. Motor oil is refined for reuse, while glass can be used in fiberglass insulation for buildings.
- In New York City, close to 400,000 tons of recyclable paper goods are collected annually, along with more than a 1/4 million tons of cartons, bottles, cans, metal and foil. Grays Harbor County's website notes that the environmental impacts of recycling are significant. For example, recycling one ton of cardboard saves three tons of wood pulp. Refining motor oil for reuse reduces the need for drilling new wells.
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