What do things get recycled into?

Glass: The uses of glass range from the ordinary to the completely unexpected! 

• New bottles & jars
• ‘Processed sand’ – finely ground glass for golf bunkers
• ‘Glassphalt’ for road surfacing – around 14 miilion bottles were crushed and used to resurface the M6 motorway!

Steel Cans:  The range of possible uses for recycled steel is enormous. That’s because steel can be infinitely recycled, and because it’s such a widely used material. You can find recycled steel in many products:

• Bicycle frames
• Pipes
• Train tracks
• Ship hulls

Aluminium Cans:  Are recycled and made into new cans – a used can takes only 6-8 weeks to be recycled and appear back on the shelves!

Plastics: There is a wide range of products made from recycled plastic:

• Bin liners & carrier bags
• Plastic bottles
• Flooring and window frames
• Building insulation board
• Fencing and garden furniture
• Water butts, garden sheds & composters
• Fleeces
• Fibre filling for sleeping bags and duvets

Paper: Recovered paper can be made into all sorts of new products to name a few:

• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Printing paper
• Cardboard
• Toilet rolls

And even loft insulation!

Go here to find out where your recycling goes and what happens to it.