These days, recycling is a societal norm, and most families separate paper and cardboard from other materials. However, what happens when these items are sent off to be reused? If you’re unfamiliar with this state-of-the-art process, RTI Trash of Russellville, AR, is happy to enlighten you. Here, this commercial trash service and recycling center offers a brief overview of paper and cardboard recycling.

Collection & Sorting

Your commercial trash service will likely collect paper and cardboard together. In this initial phase, also called “single stream,” you can include everything from phone books and brown paper bags to magazines and cereal boxes. However, it’s important to leave out food scraps and plastic or metal pieces attached to paper and cardboard packaging.  

From there, a recycling team member will remove large or irregular items that might disrupt the breakdown process. Acceptable pieces are placed on conveyor belts and sent off to a sorting machine. This mechanism features discs that extract cardboard and move it into a cardboard recycling area. Then the paper is sifted out, and any remaining materials are discarded.

Pulping & Reusing

At this point, the resulting paper and cardboard items are sent into a spinning machine and mixed with water to form a semiliquid mixture called a pulp. This machine is designed to catch and extract non-recyclable fragments like tape. Once filtered, the pulp sits in a septic-like tank where heavier items sink and lighter materials float.

As soon as these irregular pieces are removed, the pulp is heated, dried, and wrung out. The dry fibers are then crafted into rolls of paper, which may be turned into office paper, tissue, or liner sheets for cardboard.

As a commercial business owner, it only takes a bit of effort on your part to get the ball rolling on this process. To learn more about paper and cardboard recycling near Russellville, turn to the experts at RTI Trash. They will be happy to provide more information on their eco-friendly practices. You can also visit the website for more information on their offerings.