The different types of waste in Florida
Once collected, the garbage will be separated according to its type and transported to the most suitable recycling center. Beyond liquid and organic waste, four types of solid household waste can be recycled particularly well, according to waste management experts at Fort Lauderdale Dumpster Rental Whiz.
Papers and cardboard
Such as we find in our packaging, and which will give rise to other boxes. Papers too, newspapers, brochures, magazines, which will most of the time allow you to obtain new newspapers or notebooks. Their recycling is all the more important as paper consumption is one of the factors of deforestation even though 25% of printed documents are thrown away just 5 minutes after being read.
Metal waste
The steel and aluminum of our cans, cans and aerosol cans. Beaten into sheets or stretched into wires, they are infinitely recyclable and can be reused in all kinds of industrial sectors. With an average recycling rate of around 60%, aluminum is one of the great champions of the circular economy. Nearly 75% of the aluminum ever produced is still used.
Glass wate
That of wine, milk or fruit juice bottles, also infinitely recyclable. After careful sorting, it will be crushed then melted and used to make new containers or glass wool.
However, its recycling rate varies considerably from one state to another, while Florida recycles 50% of the glass produced. The United States overall struggles to exceed 30%.
Toxic waste
It is medicines and batteries but also hydrocarbon residues, resulting from petroleum waste, which will head to appropriate treatment sectors. But it is also electronic waste, smartphones, televisions, laptops, which contain many precious materials. The need to return them to a store or a specialized processing center unfortunately slows down the rate of their recycling, giving waste abandoned in the countryside or in landfills the opportunity to dump lead, mercury and other toxic substances.
Plastic waste
But the one that really poses a problem is once again plastic. We should also talk about plastics in the plural since there are many types, many of which are not recyclable. In reality, there are only 5 types of plastics:
- PVC
- Polyethylene
- Polystyrene
- PET plastic
- Polypropylene
These are generally the plastics found in our water bottles, our yogurt pots or in cosmetic product bottles.
Once arrived at the sorting center somewhere in Florida like Ft. Lauderdale, the waste will be crushed, washed, dried then sifted until granules are obtained from which tubes of toothpaste, new bottles, car bumpers, fleece clothing or good duvet fillings.
The rest, a little more than 90% of plastic in the world, will become simple waste and will swell landfills and incineration centers that are already running out of steam.
Some residents and local businesses use the services of dumpster rental companies to discard their plastic and other types of waste in bulk. With a large container, they can gather all their junk in one place, or even use it for an entire neighborhood. Once filles, the dumpster content can be sent to the nearest recycling facility, where it will be sorted and recycled, for the part that is recyclable.
