What are the 3 Basic Recycling Categories in Toronto and Ontario – read here!
There’s a lot of waste produced every year in Toronto and only a percentage of it is currently recyclable. While we aim, as a city, to reduce consumption of non-recyclables, thankfully, there’s a lot of market opportunities to make the most of the recyclable garbage we create.
The more that we recycle and reuse, the less that ends up in our landfills. Throughout the years and to this day, so much waste ends up in our landfills that doesn’t need to. Toronto businesses and citizens continue to limit waste through various initiatives. Though new recycling opportunities are being developed every day, here are the basic categories of recycling in Toronto.
Paper
Paper recycling was one of the first categories to develop and has been a vital component to recycling in Toronto. Under the guise of protecting trees from being cut down, paper recycling has been extremely successful at its intended goal. To recycle paper products, they must be sorted and separated, filtering out impurities which are usually ink, glue, staples, and similar items. After this paper stew of sorts has been filtered, it can be bleached and reused in a variety of related products. Adding new pulp to the paper may be done to strengthen it.
Glass
Glass recycling is another category of recycling in Ontario that was one of the earliest to develop. To recycle glass, the process can be quite time-consuming and tricky. To begin, glass products must be disinfected before it can be entered into recycling. Then, it is sorted by color. After it’s been sorted, the glass is grinded, impurities are eliminated using lasers and magnets, and then, the glass is melted down and reformed into different glass materials. Recycling glass ultimately reduces the energy and money invested into creating new, non-recycled glass products.
Plastics
The last recycling category on our list is plastics. There are some plastics that are easily recyclable and others that are not. As most plastics are non-biodegradable, much movement has been done in creating processes and manufacturing facilities to process the material. Plastics are always sorted according to type. Then, it is melted down into pellets or turned into fibre. Recycled plastics can then be applied into different products, common to the construction industry or clothing industry.
Recycling is absolutely vital to Toronto’s long-term prospects
As the years continue to pass, thankfully, more major recycling categories are being added every decade. As we continue to reduce our landfill waste, reduce our consumption of single-use non-recyclable products, and expand our capacity to recycle, the sky’s the limit for Toronto. Every material recycled comes with a different method, has a different market, and has its unique challenges. We hope more stakeholders in the GTA come to the table in the months ahead to continue building the infrastructure necessary to expand recycling operations across the City. There are incredible benefits to be seen by keeping products out of our landfills and using less resources to produce new product.
As a prominent waste management company in Toronto, Ontario, we do our best to recycle as much as we can from our collection service. If you’re eager to recycle and believe you have materials that can be reused, don’t hesitate to reach out. A representative would be happy to advise on what the recycling potential is of your waste.
