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The aluminum can was invented in 1968. Aluminum cans are made from bauxite ore, which is a non-renewable resource mined from the ground. The mining process creates pollution and consumes energy. Therefore it is important to recycle aluminum cans in order to conserve natural resources, save energy, and reduce the amount of waste entering the landfill. read more
Steel cans and other steel items are recycled in Palm Beach County but not by placing them in your recycling bins at home. When garbage is processed at the Solid Waste Authority (SWA) of Palm Beach County's Waste-to-Energy facility, a large magnet is used to extract the steel from the garbage. After the steel is separated, it is placed in a machine which cleans and crushes it into nuggets. read more
Glass bottles and jars are collected from Palm Beach County residents and brought to the Solid Waste Authority (SWA) of Palm Beach County's Materials Recycling FAcility where workers sort the bottles and jars according to their color: green, clear, or brown. After the glass is sorted, it is placed in a machine which crushes it, removes product labels and metal lids. read more
Newspapers and other paper products collected from residents are brought to the Solid Waste Authority (SWA) of Palm Beach County's Materials Recycling Facility where it is separated according to its grade(quality). Once the paper is sorted, it is baled and transported to paper manufacturing mills where it is loaded onto conveyer lines. The conveyer moves the paper along and drops it into the pulper: a machine filled with water that has steel blades on the bottom. The soaked paper is torn apart by the pulper and the ink is dissolved with chemicals. read more
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Fun Facts
