The trail

Whether we like it or not, plastic is part of our everyday life. Maybe it's the bags that we take our groceries home with, or it's in the products that we use on a daily basis.

There are many things that we use that need to be sorted properly within our homes to be included in the recycling process. To learn more about this step, check out the Transfer Station tab!

 From our homes,  our disposables are either picked up curbside or we take  them to the Boxborough Transfer Station. Local trash is collected to be taken to the Waste Management  Sort facility.
 

As described above, recyclables are sorted and bundled into bales. These bales are inspected, then become available for purchase to be recycled into future products.

Businesses can buy bales from the WM Recycling Facility. These materials can be used to produce more products. 

Products made out of recycled materials are restocked in stores. This brings us back to the beginning of our cycle!

 The Boxborough Transfer Station sends all collected recyclables here. The Waste Management facilities are equipped to sort out the different types of recyclables and bundle them to be either sold to companies for production or sent to the landfill and/or incineration facility.
 

The WM facility sends bundles of trash  to the incineration facility. In the process of incineration, trash is burned into ash, then dumped at an unspecified location. Gas from the combustions is filtered and released into the air.

Things that cannot be incinerated or recycled end up in the landfill or can be dumped in our oceans. The ultimate goal is to not contribute to landfills!