What Is a Waste Transfer & Recycling Facility?

After trash is gathered, it goes to a waste transfer and recycling facility.

Waste transfer and recycling facilities are the halfway point between consumers and businesses that produce waste and the locations that process, repurpose or dispose of waste and recyclables. These plants facilitate recycling by sorting recyclable materials, sometimes breaking them down into reusable form, and then transferring waste to appropriate locations for disposal or repurposing.

Administration

Depending on the location, state, county or municipal governments may administer waste transfer and recycling facilities. In places, private companies administer them. In some cases, tax dollars subsidize the facilities while private corporations fund and maintain other locations. In either case, customers may pay a fee for their use.

Sorting

A primary task accomplished at waste transfer and recycling facilities is the sorting of trash and recyclable materials collected from customers. In some cases, household users drop off trash and recyclables at a transfer station. In others, waste services pick up trash from their customers and take it to a transfer and recycling station. Recyclable material must be separated at some point in the disposal process into categories -- paper, glass, metal and plastic, for example. Some transfer stations require customers to sort recyclables. Others accept mixed recyclables and either sort them at the transfer station or send recyclables on to be sorted elsewhere.

Processing

Some transfer and recycling facilities begin processing recyclable materials. For example, some use manpower or magnets to remove metal caps from glass recyclables. Balers compact paper products for easy transport. Plastics may be washed and chopped into tiny flakes. Transfer stations also compact trash before moving it to a disposal facility.

Holding Places

While these facilities often treat or process recyclable materials in some way, they also serve as a temporary holding place for waste materials. Some waste transfer facilities are adjacent to landfills or other disposal locations; in other places, the facility is a central location for collecting waste and then transporting it to other locations.

References

• Allied Waste: Allied Waste Recycling Centers & Transfer Stations
• The University of Oregon Campus Recycling Program: The Recycling Process After Collection
• Fact Monster: A Look at the Recycling Process