Where does your recycling go

Ever wonder what happens to items you put in your black box and green bin?

Residents in Torfaen sort out materials into their black boxes and bins every day.

After boxes are collected every week, items are sorted at the Torfaen Cleanstream Recycling depot in Cwmbran and then taken elsewhere.

• Currently, paper from Torfaen, including magazines, newspapers and junk mail, is recycled into newsprint at Aylesford Newsprint in Kent.
• Glass such as wine bottles and beer bottles is sent to Nationwide in Swansea where it is made into building materials.
• Metal like food tins and drink cans is either sent to Novellis in Warrington for re-processing back into aluminium cans or sent to Sims Metal in Newport where it is reprocessed and reused as steel.
• Plastic bottles collected are sent to Eurokey in Leicester. This type of recycling is still being developed in the UK.
• Finally, clothes and shoes are sent to developing countries where they are re-used and worn.

Garden and kitchen waste from your green wheelie bin is taken to Bryn Compost in Caerphilly and turned into compost.