Many of the UK's local authorities collect recyclable waste mixed together in the same bin. Mike Tingle discovers how differences in chemical and physical properties are used to separate a wide variety of materials
Have you ever stopped to think about the difference between re-using and recycling? Re-using means using items again for their original purpose, whereas recycling involves processing the materials to make new items.
Whether an item is re-used or recycled often comes down to practicality and economics. Glass milk bottles can be cleaned, sterilised and refilled by a dairy (so are returned for re-use and not put into kerbside collection bins), it is not economical to do the same for wine and beer bottles. Instead they are recycled, processed and given a second life.
Mike Tingle explores the process of recycling, the role of chemistry, and how advances to materials recovery facilities (MRFs) might change the future of recycling.
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