We play a significant role in the recycling cycle. First we purchase the products that can be recycled, like newspapers, plastic containers and cans. Then we place them in a blue box that we put out for collection by the City of Hamilton. We also purchase the end products of recycling which is the whole point of the process.
Flo Busnello, the City of Hamilton’s recycling queen says consumers might be surprised to know that the polar fleece garment they are wearing could contain recycled plastic. The carpet we walk on also can incorporate what used to be the plastic container that held the yogurt in our fridge. Recycled plastic can be used to make new plastic containers as well as innovative products like fencing and decking.
Manufacturers purchase the plastic items that we place in our blue box. The plastic products are washed, shredded, turned into flakes and then into pellets that are used to create new products. Recyclers also purchase sorted and bailed paper from the city and uses it to make egg cartons and drink trays.
“All of the items that we collect at the curb are recycled,” says the recycling queen.
To find out more about the city’s recycling program, visit the website at
www.hamilton.ca/waste.
