Which answer best describes the process of single-stream recycling?

Single-system recycling refers to a system in which all material is deposited into one container for pick-up and processing at a materials recovery facility.

The material to be recycled can include all paper fibers, plastics, and metals- deposited into one container at the point of origin. It is usually picked up from the individual’s residence or a designated collection point and transferred into a collection truck instead of being sorted by the person into different containers.

Various equipment located at the materials recovery facility completes the sorting process. A few examples include a back scraping drum that spreads materials out on a conveyor belt as an initial process; an OCC (old corrugated screen) separates the cardboard and sends it to the single ram baler to be baled; elliptical separators sort 2D objects from 3D objects; also ferrous magnets pull all ferrous metals toward a magnet such as tin and steel. Thee are other pieces of equipment stored at the materials recovery facility to handle glass and clear film.

In the United States, the city of Phoenix, located in the state of Arizona began exploring single-stream recycling in 1989. One statistic reported in 2013, indicates that 100 million America were served by the single-stream recycling process.