The paper, plastic, glass and cans you put in the recycling bins is
sorted before being sent for recycling or reuse.

Glass

• Empty glass bottles and jars can be recycled to make things like
  decorative paving and aggregate for asphalt or swimming pool filters,
  as well as new glass jars and bottles.
  
  
• Some glass, such as mirror glass and crystal, cannot be recycled
  because of high lead content.
  

Paper

• Corrugated paper and cardboard can be used to make new paperboard
  and corrugated boxes.
  
• Newspapers can be recycled into paperboard, new newsprint, insulation
  and animal bedding products.
  
  
• Office paper can be recycled into writing paper, tissue and towel
  products.
  
• Telephone books can be recycled into egg cartons and wine boxes.
  

Food and drink cans

• Empty aluminium drink cans are sent overseas for recycling and can
  be recycled again and again. Recycled aluminium cans are sorted, crushed
  and baled into "bricks" for transporting. These bricks are fed into
  a hot furnace where the aluminium melts and the melted aluminium is
  then cast into smaller ingots which are processed into new aluminium
  cans.
  
  
• Steel cans that have contained anything from baked beans to fruit
  cocktail, pet food or soup can be recycled to make new cars and bridges.
  

Plastic

• 25 plastic soft drink bottles can be recycled to make an ecofleece
  top.
  
• A styrofoam vending cup can be made into a pencil or a pen.
  
  
• Plastic bags and containers can be recycled into garden furniture,
  decking and fencing.
  
• Milk bottles can be recycled into buckets, composting bins or the
  recycling bins many councils use for kerbside recycling.

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