Ever wondered what happens to your recycling?
The Sunset Park Municipal Recycling Facility, the largest in North America, is one of the few sites capable of recycling Nespresso pods.
Every day, it processes 1,000 tons of materials using miles of conveyor belts, AI scanners, magnets and workers to sort and prepare recyclables for resale.
"There are about 2 1/2 miles of conveyor belts that move the recyclables through and sort them out," said Kara Napolitano, of Circular Services.
Magnets and AI-powered scanners help recover nearly all accepted materials, including aluminum foil and pans and Nespresso pods. "We recover about 95% of what we receive," Napolitano said.
Some recycled materials stay close to home—parts of the facility itself, like its ceiling, are made from repurposed metal. As Brooklyn grows, the company says it is prepared to keep up with demand.
"We're at 70% capacity. If recycling increases, we’ll assess expansion," Napolitano said.
Recycled materials are turned into bales, sorted by category into hard plastics and metals - and sold to industrial distributors.
"They are valuable materials - it's up to you to put them in the right place to give them another life," Napolitano said.
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