URI has a private company pick up and transport your recycling to the Materials Recycling Facility at the RIRRC in Johnston. Here the recyclables are dumped onto a tip floor and then loaded onto a series of conveyor belts. High tech processes such as optical sorting technology, photoreceptors and air jets are all used to sort the material into individual steams. These photos show bales of laundry detergent bottles, milk bottles and aluminum cans all being prepared to ship off to markets where they can be manufactured into other products.
Dedicated loads of cardboard from our high volume areas such as the dining halls and Memorial Union is sold to recyclers for re-manufacturing.
Watch a video for what happens to your recycling: