Recycling is a process whereby waste materials are separated from the waste stream and processed and incorporated into new products. You start the process at home, work and school by separating paper, cans, bottles and yard waste from of your trash.

In Allentown, the cans and bottles in your green bin are collected in a separate truck by the City's hauler and transported to Todd Heller, Inc. (THI) in Northampton. THI is a privately owned, regional material recovery facility (MRF) where recyclables are sorted on a conveyor system and baled and processed for re-manufacturing into new products. THI sells the processed recyclables to mills and manufacturers who make new glass, aluminum and steel containers.

GLASS:
THI sorts glass by color and removes contaminants. THI processes color sorted glass into the size and specifications required by the container manufacturers. THI also makes glass beads used in reflective highway painting and crushes glass into sand for fiberglass manufacturing. Mixed color broken glass is crushed and processed for paving and drainage applications.

PLASTICS:
The plastics are sent to processors who clean and flake or pelletize the plastic for manufacturing into things such as fiber used in clothing and carpeting as well as plastic lumber, furniture and other rigid plastic items. Very few plastics are recyclable and most plastics are generally recycled into non-recyclable items.

ALUMINUM:
Aluminum cans are the most recycled item in our country. Approximately 49% of all the cans consumed get recycled, mostly into new cans.

STEEL CANS:
Steel cans are recycled into steel. The steel industry has been recycling for over 100 years. Using at least 25% recycled steel is the best way to make new steel.

NEWSPAPER AND MIXED PAPER:
The newspaper and mixed paper in the blue bin are collected in separate compartments of the same recycling truck. The hauler drops the paper at Allentown's paper transfer facility located at the Main Yard Waste Site, Oxford Drive & Fish Hatchery Road. The newspaper currently goes to Liberty Recycling in Allentown where it is processed for sale to companies making newsprint, insulation and pulp. The mixed paper goes to Marcal Paper in New Jersey which makes 100% recycled, processed chlorine free tissue products sold in local stores.

YARD WASTE:
Yard waste is collected and delivered to Allentown's main yard waste site at Fish Hatchery Road & Oxford Drive where it is ground into mulch. Most of the mulch goes to the Lehigh County Composting Site where it is composted. We also screen mulch to give away to residents and for use by the Bureau of Parks. Leaves are composted on-site and at the County site.