Do you ever wonder where your recyclables go after you put them in the recycling bin? Used items journey through several stages of the recycling process as they are transformed into renewed, marketable items. Knowing the stages of the recycling process helps us to understand why it is so important to recycle right.

Here in Ontario County all of the materials that are collected for recycling are taken to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) located adjacent to the Ontario County Landfill. Often people ask us if the materials they separate for recycling are actually recycled. YES, they are! According to the NYS DEC any materials that are separated by you and taken to the MRF cannot be disposed of as garbage. If you are a wish-cycler, and place items that are not actually recyclable in your bin, those items will be separated and disposed of. You can be confident the rest of those carboard boxes, aluminum cans, and plastic milk jugs are separated by material and sent to manufacturers to be turned into new materials.

What are some of the benefits of recycling? It reduces materials being sent to the landfill, it saves resources and energy, it creates jobs, and it prevents pollution.

Adapted from #RecycleRightNY resources