DORSET students have carried out a thorough investigation into what happens to our recycling after it leaves our doorsteps.

National media reports suggesting that recycling sometimes gets mixed up, contaminated and sent to landfill prompted the investigation by students from Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis.

West Dorset District Council arranged for students Emily Aves, Chloe Watson and Jake Perrett, all 13, to find out how kerbside recycling works.

They had a go at sorting out the recycling on one of the council’s kerbside collection vehicles, which is divided into sections for paper and cardboard, batteries, steel, aluminium and glass.

They then followed the recycling to the plant at Crossways, where it is collected in bulk before being sent on for reprocessing. Income generated from this is used to help provide the kerbside collection service.

All three students agreed that the day had given them a fascinating insight into how household recycling works.

Jake said: “I didn’t realise there would be such huge mountains of paper, glass and cans.”

And Emily said: “It was awesome, but noisy.

“I thought it would smell awful, but we found out it doesn’t because it gets sorted and sent for reprocessing so quickly.”

Chloe said: “I liked seeing how the recycling gets sorted and it was interesting finding out what happens to it after that.”

The students’ investigation will be featured in the winter edition of the district council’s newsletter Community Link, which is delivered to homes and businesses in West Dorset from the end of November.

Factfile

Where does our recycling go?

  • Glass – bottles and jars are colour sorted and sent to a firm called Recresco, near Liverpool. Metal lids and plastic labels are removed and the glass is delivered to a British manufacturer and remade into new bottles and jars.
  • Aluminium – drinks cans get delivered to Novleis, a reprocessing company in Warrington, where they are melted down into aluminium sheets. These sheets are used to make new cans.
  • Steel – food cans are sent to UK manufacturers Corus, where they are recycled back into steel products like more cans, car parts or cookers.
  • Paper – newspaper and cardboard are delivered to Shotton Paper Mill in Deeside where it is turned into new paper products.
  • Batteries – go to a specialist recycling company G & P Batteries. They are then sent to Derbyshire or France for recycling. Mercury and cadmium are removed and the remaining metals are turned into new products.