What happens next?
Small changes really can make a world of difference! Recycling products, rather than taking new materials to start a manufacturing process from scratch, saves energy, money and the world's natural resources.
Glass
Glass bottles and jars become new bottles and jars. They can also be made into road aggregate and household insulation.
Paper
Paper from our schools is collected by Printwaste and baled into 500kg bales in Cheltenham. It's then taken in 25 tonne loads to UK pulping mills such as SCA at Purdoe in Northumberland. From here it's turned back into paper - and could be back on your desk within a few weeks!
Cardboard
This follows the same route as paper and will return as a cardboard box.
Tin Cans
All cans are taken to Cory's local transfer station in Cheltenham before being processed. They are separated using an electro-magnet with the steel cans being sent to Corus at Port Talbot. These are turned into new cans or bridge girders etc. Aluminium cans go to Novelis in Warrington and will be back in the supermarket within a few weeks.
Plastic Bottles
Printwaste squash these into 300kg bales before they are sent to companies such as Linpac in Leeds to be turned into polymer granules to make new bottles.
IT Equipment
Printwaste will take this to Hemplan in Gloucester. Here it has the data securely destroyed before it is refurbished or recycled.
Textiles
If your school arranges textile collections through companies such as Ragtex and Bag2school, the textiles will be sorted and many are sent to developing countries, to benefit communities who are less fortunate than us. Very low quality textiles are shredded and turned into fibre filling or insulation.
WEEE
Sometimes schools have items such as old toasters, heaters etc. These can be taken by Printwaste to EMR in Darlaston, nr Birmingham. It's then dismantled and the component parts are recycled.