Seattle Recycles with Republic Services.

“In terms of output, we’re one of the largest in the United States, we process over 200,000 tons a year.”- Matt Henry, General Manager

See what trash can do!

Mountains of trash is an unfortunate sight. Until we can learn to produce less trash, people out there are finding ways to collect and utilize it for something. Check out this video from PBS to learn how trash provides power.

Sorting things out.

Watch how the Sims Municipal Recycling facility sorts items in New York.

Please take note of the overwhelming amount of loose plastic that should not be placed in recycling bins.

Thomas Outerbridge explains that optical sorters “go very, very fast. They go much faster than a human being could possibly pick. They’re looking at 7 tons of material an hour.”

Big city trash collection.

Taking another look at New York, only this time it’s turning non-recyclables into power. This is a whole new claw-game!

You’ll also learn some history of NYC’s sanitation department.