I can put anything in the recycling bin because if it’s wrong they will sort it out at the processing centre
Wishcycling - This occurs when keen recyclers place something that doesn’t belong in the recycling bin in there anyway, hoping that it will somehow get recycled. Whilst this behaviour is well-intentioned, it actually causes contamination (see below). There is no recycling fairy!
Contamination – This occurs when items that shouldn’t be put in the recycling bin get mixed in with recyclable items. This affects the recycler’s ability to effectively recover those resources, leading to more materials going to landfill. Contamination could include plastic bags to food and liquid waste to dirty nappies.
Recycling technology varies - Material Recycling Facilities can vary in the kind of technology they use and how they sort items. After the materials are tipped onto a conveyor belt, staff often manually remove contaminants. Then fans are used to separate paper, magnets pick up steel containers, optical senses detect different types of plastic, eddy currents repel aluminium cans and glass continues on until loaded onto trucks.