What Happens to the Paper We Recycle?

This is a question that no doubt, not many people think to ask themselves. What’s the point of recycling old paper if we just get new ones every single day? What’s the importance of putting the right recyclable materials in the right bins? Working with paperless solutions makes you acutely aware of these things that few stop to think about. Why is going paper-free so important? Why is recycling?

This is what happens to the paper that we put in the recycling bins.

Firstly the sorting

Our recycle bins are emptied into trucks, then driven to a mechanical plant and then sorted out. This process is important for weeding out the things that we carelessly put into the recycle bins. Carpets, bricks, stones, things that are not meant to be there, if passed through the plant will harm the machines that recycle these materials. Whenever you put your things into the recycle bins remember to sort them out accurately, paper goes with paper, plastic in the plastic bin. Its potentially dangerous when you put things in the wrong recycling bins and it makes a lot of work for whoever sorts out the materials.

So if you see anyone doing something like this, makes sure you correct them on it, and you too take care not to make any mistakes with your recycling.

Secondly the sorting

The second stage of sorting is automatic. Our papers are separated into three groups by size, using a machine called a “Trummel”. Then a device is used to further remove any contamination from the paper stream such as plastic, wood, etc. It detects it and then fires a jet of compressed air to suck it in and removes it from the line. Next a huge magnet is used to remove the ferrous metals from the paper trail. Then comes the Eddie current separator, which takes away the aluminium cans from the paper line.

Lastly the sorting

The papers are then manually sorted and made cleaner, by removing the plastics, and metals that the machines might have missed. Everything is taken into holding bunkers and then they are loaded unto trucks and taken to paper mills for reprocessing.

This reprocessed paper is what we see in many homes and offices such as printing paper and cardboard boxes.

SignTech is an innovative paperless platform that creates forms and documents for full completion, signing and integration. For more information visit www.signtechforms.com or email info@signtechforms.com.