Yesterday's news makes a comeback at recycling centre (From Warrington Guardian)

Yesterday's news makes a comeback at recycling centre

12:10pm Saturday 2nd June 2012 in News

HAVE you ever thought what will happen to your papers once it is put in the blue bin?

There is chance you could be seeing it again sooner than you think as it could become the new edition of the Guardian in only two or three weeks time.

All your blue bin recycling items end up at UPM Shotton – a recycled paper mill where your paper will go through an intensive process to become the news of tomorrow.

The blue bin waste, which includes newspapers, glass and plastic bottles, Tetra Paks and cardboard is sorted both by state-of-the-art machinery and also by hand.

Andy Cutts, head of recycling at Warrington Borough Council, said: “The biggest benefit for us using Shotton is all the new materials we can recycle. Last year we could only do the standard things. Bringing our recycling to Shotton meant we could recycle more plastic and shredded paper.

“We were adamant the next time we went out to tender we would let people recycle shredded paper.

“We aim to recycle 55 per cent of refuse by 2020, at the moment we are recycling about 43 to 44 per cent. Every year we do that little bit better.”

When the waste arrives at Shotton, two giant diggers separate it and pour the rubbish onto a giant conveyer belt which leads through to a vast sorting hall with high-tech cameras able to detect the reflection of paper and plastic and send them onto the correct belts.

But the human eye is also a vital tool in stopping undesirable items appearing through the process.

Reject boxes filled with large stones, car batteries and wood which have been dumped in recycling bins, are full in one of the many sorting rooms at the centre in North Wales.

Once divided the paper makes its way to the mill where it undergoes a process to remove the ink before it is then turned back into new paper ready to go to newspaper printers.

What does the future have in store for recycling as the council looks to increase its figures?

“I’m confident there will be more materials we can recycle in the future. The more we can get in blue bins, the less goes to landfill,” added Andy.