Raleigh has switched to a “single stream” recycling program. That means that instead of sorting all your materials at the curb and putting those materials into different bins within the truck, you can mix all your items together and they get transported to the recycling facility mixed together. This is a cost-savings measure for the city of Raleigh as it means they can use less sophisticated waste pickup trucks, and the pickup crews can move faster and more efficiently. I also think that more people will be likely to recycle because now it should take less work to recycle. <\/p>\n
The impact of comingling recycling materials is that once it arrives at the MRF (materials recovery facility)<\/a>, it then all must be separated. That’s what we learned about in our tour of the facility. I tried to document in pictures and videos. It is really an amazing process and watching these people in action makes me want to work harder to keep contaminants out of my recycling bin. <\/p>\n A few tips I learned while I was there. <\/p>\n To see the pictures and video of my tour, read the rest of the article. Sonoco is pretty cool because they do not just do recycling. They are also part of a larger company, which means they take what they harvest from recycling and use it to make post-consumer recycled product packaging.<\/p>\n Here is some of the product packaging they produce. Here is the initial pile of recycleable materials as they arrive at the facility. It’s a huge pile and they use this front-loader to push it onto the conveyer belt.\n
![\"Ready](\"http:\/\/www.iheartdavids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/img_7521-500x375.jpg\" "\\"Ready")
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\n![\"Product](\"http:\/\/www.iheartdavids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/img_7517-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Product")
<\/a>![\"Product](\"http:\/\/www.iheartdavids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/img_7516-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Product")
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\n![\"Incoming\"](\"http:\/\/www.iheartdavids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/img_7534-500x375.jpg\" "\\"Incoming\\"")
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![plastic clamshell packages<\/a> and](\"http:\/\/www.greenhome.com\/prodpix\/bfs_clamshell_detail.jpg\"){kind=link}