The AmeriCorps team toured the Allied Waste Recycling Center this morning under the guide of John Caputo, the company’s marketing executive. The plant, which is the largest on the west coast, processes 650 tons of recyclables a day, 15,000 tons a month. John said this nonchalantly in the company’s modest conference room, then handed us each a hardhat, safety vest, and pair of protective goggles before leading the way out into the plant.

      I, at least, was not prepared for what lay behind the plant’s doors. We climbed over conveyer belts, fans, and magnets lined with sorting workers all churning with materials. The recycling center separates the tons of material brought to its door into bails of cardboard, newspaper, mixed paper, plastics, aluminum, and glass all through an ever-moving process of work and machinery.





     Back in the conference room, after our whirlwind tour, John insisted that the public is the city’s greatest asset to making things at Seattle’s Recycling Center run smoothly. His three main Recycling Tips were:

1) To rinse/wash your recyclables
2) Remove caps from all bottles, jugs, and product containers

And, most importantly,

3) Know what’s recyclable!

     So, should you live in Seattle, checkout the poster below to brush up on recycling Do’s and Don’ts or better yet go to http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Recycling/Recycle_at_Your_House/WhereDoesItGoFlyer/index.htm and print off a flyer for your home and business.