What does recycling become once it’s been sorted at SunSkips?

When you toss your rubbish into a SunSkips container, it all goes through a comprehensive screening process at our sites in Cambridge, Ipswich, Stowmarket and Haverhill.

Through a series of steps – including hand picking, flip-flow screens, magnets, air classifiers, and specialist tests – our team is able to extract valuable materials that can be reintroduced into the circular economy.

Once the waste is sorted, each material is sent to a different facility to be recycled into new products. But what exactly does it end up as?

Animal bedding

Shredded paper, cardboard and wood can all be recycled into animal bedding. This is a great way to reuse materials that would otherwise end up in landfill.

Animal bedding made from recycled materials is soft, absorbent, and comfortable for animals to sleep on. It‘s also free of harmful chemicals and pollutants.

MORE: How SunSkips’ recycling screening line works

Chipboard

Chipboard is a type of wood product made from recycled paper and wood fibres. It’s used to make a variety of products, including furniture, packaging, and flooring.

Recycled chipboard is cost-effective as well as environmentally friendly. By diverting wood and cardboard waste from landfill and turning it into a useful product, SunSkips is helping to reduce the need for logging and the production of new wood-based materials.

MORE: Wood recycling: How it works, waste grades and why it’s vital to UK

Alternative fuels

Some plastics and other difficult-to-recycle materials can be leveraged as alternative fuels. These RDF (refuse derived fuel) and SRF (solid recovered fuel) materials are used in industrial kilns, to generate electricity, heat homes and even power aeroplanes.

Alternative fuels reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and help to protect the environment from greenhouse gas emissions.

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Aggregate

Aggregate is used to make concrete, asphalt, and other construction materials that can be used in road construction, building foundations, and landscaping.

It’s made from crushed rocks, sand, and gravel. Recycled glass and plastic can also be used to make aggregate.

Waste from the building industry contributes to 62% of all UK waste. Recycling construction materials reduces the amount of virgin materials used in the industry to minimise its environmental impact.

MORE: SunSkips plans to save 100k tonnes of waste going to landfill

Insulation

Wool, cotton, denim, paper, glass and plastics can all be recycled into building insulation. This not only reduces the need for virgin construction materials, but also lowers homeowners’ energy use to heat and cool their house.

Recycled insulation requires less energy to produce than the standard  fibreglass or styrofoam insulation, further reducing the impact on the environment.

MORE: Sustainable building practices: Paving the way to net zero

Paper towels, tissues and napkins

Once paper is sorted, cleaned, and processed, it can be turned into recycled paper towels, tissues and napkins.

Using recycled paper reduces the demand for virgin paper production, which often requires cutting down trees and consumes a substantial amount of water and energy.

MORE: How paper and cardboard recycling works

SunSkips is proud to be working towards a better circular economy in England and is always looking into ways to maximise the amount of waste that can be diverted from landfill.