What happens to our waste?

Have you ever wondered what happens to your rubbish after you take it to a recycling centre or civic amenity site?

Waste from Belfast is reprocessed at various locations around the world, depending on the type of material it is made from. Here are some examples:

What happens to our waste?
Type of waste	Where is it sent?	What is the process?	What is the final product?
Aluminium foil	England	The foil is chipped into small pieces which are then melted in a furnace. When the metal has cooled slightly, it is rolled into large sheets which are then formed into new foil products.	New aluminium foil
Car batteries	Belfast	The batteries are shredded and the acid removed and disposed of in accordance with hazardous waste regulations.	The lead is melted and reused to make more batteries.
Cardboard	Belfast and then worldwide	The cardboard is sorted and baled. It is then shipped to the UK and Europe where it is recycled through the pulping process. This mixture is passed through large rollers which remove excess water and press the fibres together, causing them to lock as they dry.	New cardboard
CDs, DVDs and books	Oxfam	All CDs and DVDs are cleaned and polished. Books are checked and graded.	They are sold in shops to raise money for charity.
Fluorescent tubes	Europe	They are crushed, washed and sieved to render them non-hazardous. The crushed tubes are then moved to Germany for further processing.	Three products are recovered - glass for new fluorescent tubes, aluminium and steel for the metal industry, and mercury, used by the pharmaceutical industry to make thermometers.
Glass bottles and jars	Quinn Glass, Derrylin	Glass is sorted by colour and graded. It is heated to 1700°C and when it is melted it is made into new glass products.	New glass bottles
Old hand tools	Tools for Solidarity workshop, Crumlin Road, Belfast	The tools are refurbished by hand by volunteers and staff. They are then grouped into tools for tailoring, carpentry and plumbing.	Tools that are sent to Africa.
Paint cans	Belfast	The process involves the paint being separated from the tin through freezing. The paint is then disposed of and the can sent for metal recycling.	New tins
Paint thinners	Carryduff	The paint thinners undergo a distillation process and are fully recycled.	The thinners are forwarded to heavy industry for paint and manufacturing processes.
Paper	Huhtimaki, Lurgan	Paper is recycled using a pulping process. Inks and dyes are removed from the paper and water added to produce a pulp-like material. This mixture is passed through rollers which remove water and press the cellulose fibres together, causing them to lock as they dry.	Egg boxes
Plastic bottles	Antrim and then worldwide	There are three different types of plastic we can accept: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastics (those with a number 1 on their base) are processed in Holland and recycled into fleeces and sleeping bags. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastics (those with a number 2 on their base) are taken to Liverpool and recycled into fence posts. Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) plastics can be recycled into sewer pipes.	Fleeces, sleeping bags and fence posts.
Scrap metal	China and Portugal	The metal is chipped into small pieces which are melted in a furnace. When the metal has cooled slightly, it is rolled into large sheets and made into new products.	New metals
Textiles	Worldwide	The materials are first sorted locally according to type and quality: High quality goods are sent to African wholesalers anfd resold. Wool, coloured and plain cloths are sent to India and Pakistan where they are turned into rugs and carpets. Low quality materials are used to make wiping cloths used in engineering, printing and quarrying industries. They are also sent to pulping mills in the UK to be used as padding in mattresses and sofas and for sound-proofing cars.	Clothes, carpets,wiping cloths and padding.
Cooking oil	It is taken to a factory in Northern Ireland.	The oil is cleaned and purified. It is then used to make Bio-diesel.	Bio-diesel
Waste engine oil	Belfast	The oil is brought to a waste treatment plant where it is cleaned and purified.	Oil that is used to manufacture tarmac.
Waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE)	A lot of WEEE material may still be in working order. Once it is collected, it is graded by our contractor and those items that are deemed reusable are passed on for resale. This can be through local appliance retailers, charities or Bruce Metal, a contractor which processes IT equipment. Those items which are not deemed suitable for resale are manually separated and sorted into various parts. These are then forwarded onto other contractors for processing.