What does recycling become?

What does recycling become?

Recyclables are a raw material just like oil, gas, coal and wood. They are all used to make new products we buy at the grocery store, at the mall and other retailers.

Your blue cart recyclables are an important part of building a sustainable circular economy that reuses materials.

 

 

Learn how your recyclables are included in the manufacturing supply chain and what they become after they get picked up from your house. 

How the manufacturing process works

Recycling is part of the manufacturing process. Instead of using raw resources like trees to make a new notebook, you can take an existing item like an old flyer to turn it into a new paper product!

How does a piece of paper get turned into a new item?

  1. You put your old flyer into the blue cart.
  2. Your blue cart driver picks up your recyclables and takes them to the recycling sorting facility.
  3. The flyer and other mixed paper are separated out from the other recyclable materials.
  4. The flyer and other mixed paper are bundled into large bales and loaded into a transport truck to go to a paper mill processor.
  5. The paper may get further sorted and is then pulped into reusable paper fibres.
  6. This paper pulp goes to manufacturers in need of this material to make paper products like bathroom tissues, paper towel and cardboard boxes often right here in Canada.

Your role in recycling

Everyone has a role to play in recycling, even if you don’t realize it! See the actions each group has within the overall recycling process. 

Calgarians

Put the right recyclables prepared in the right way into the blue cart. 

Buy products made from recycled material and buy packaging that is recyclable.

The City of Calgary

Provide Calgarians with a blue cart, program info and collection of recyclables.

Circular Materials

Ensure sorting facility meets all criteria to handle recyclables ethically and responsibly. 

Sort recyclables into proper categories so they can be turned into new items. 

Verify legitimate manufacturers and recycling processors to send sorted material to.

Manufacturers and brands

Buy recyclables from Circular Materials to turn into new consumer products to sell.

Retailer

Stock and sell products made from recycled materials for Calgarians to purchase and use.

What do my recycling items become?

Mixed paper - cardboard and paper

Examples:

Amazon boxes and delivery boxes, junk mail, magazines, envelopes, cereal boxes and newspapers.

What is it recycled into:

Newspaper, cardboard boxes, egg cartons, paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes.

Plastic containers and cups

Examples:

Laundry detergent jugs, peanut butter jars, shampoo bottles, dairy containers (yogurt, sour cream, margerine) and milk jugs.

What is it recycled into:

Carpet, fleece jackets and plastic pipes.

Tin cans and tin foil

Examples:

Tuna cans, tomato paste cans, bean cans, cookie tins and tin foil.

What is it recycled into:

Food cans, bicycle and machine parts, appliances (e.g. washer/dryer), sheet aluminum and steel pipes.

Glass food jars and bottles

Examples:

Baby food jars, jam jars, salsa jars and water bottles.

What is it recycled into:

Sand blasting abrasive (e.g. for removing paint).

Stretchy plastic bags and film wrap

Examples:

Plastic bags like grocery bags, ziploc bags, bread bags and cling wrap.

What is it recycled into:

Plastic lumber for park benches and outdoor patio furniture.

Additional information

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