A massive earth-moving machine scoops up bucket-loads of bottles and cans trucked to the Materials Recycling Facility at the state’s Central Landfill and drops them onto a conveyor belt. Every time the machine moves back and forth, it runs over bottles and they explode. All you hear is a roaring diesel and what sounds like continual gunfire.
In the back of the building, thousands of tons of paper flow by on another conveyor belt. Leaning over the passing paper, a worker wearing goggles and gloves and a safety belt reaches down with a hook and pulls away plastic bags. As fast as he pulls one away, he reaches for another.
Upstairs, dozens of workers stand over a conveyor belt, flicking off every plastic bottle they see. Aluminum cans fly off the belt for resale. But a lot of other material — wrappers, tubs, plastic bags — flow right by into waste containers. And every few minutes, someone pulls an alarm to stop the conveyor — because orange and white hypodermic needles are among the recyclables.
One worker with heavy gloves and tongs removes the needles one at a time, while everyone else waits.
Rhode Islanders recycle a lot of waste each year. And because of a new state law and renewed efforts by cities and towns, they probably will recycle much more in coming years.
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