How All-in-One Recycling Systems Work

When recycling took off in the United States in the early
1990s, the environmentally conscious were instructed to sort
their recyclables into separate bins. Paper went into one
bin, plastic in another, glass sorted by color into another
bin. By the end of the decade, however, technology that
allowed single-stream recycling was developed. At last, even
the laziest among us had no excuse to avoid recycling.

Under the single-stream recycling system, all recyclables go
into a single bin. At the recycling plant, recyclables are
loaded onto a conveyer belt and pushed off in response to
certain stimuli: Metals lift iron-based metals from the belt;
puffs of air blow paper from the line, and so on.

Single-stream recycling has made curbside recycling a cinch,
but getting your recyclables to the curb in the first place
can be a chore. When it's 10 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit
or otherwise), who wants to take an empty can to the
recycling bin? Trash is easy enough to handle; we have trash
cans in our kitchens to take care of that. Why don't we have
recycling cans? It's no problem to buy a plastic bin or to
use a bag to hold recyclables until you're ready to haul it
to the curb. Like all trash bins, though, these containers
can fill up pretty quickly.

Enter the all-in-one-recycling system. These bins accept
every recyclable imaginable into one several-gallon bin --
glass, paper, plastic, cans and more. Much of the recycled
material is crushed into a compact size, which keeps you from
having to run to the curb in your robe when it's cold out or
living in a kitchen overflowing with evidence of your
eco-friendliness.

Benefits of All-in-One Recycling Systems

You can make the case that any bin kept in your kitchen for
recyclables is an all-in-one recycling center. After all,
throwing paper, plastic and glass into the same container
constitutes an all-in-one mechanism, but there are slightly
more high-tech solutions on the market.

Why buy an all-in-one recycling system in the first place? It
turns out that there are plenty of benefits to having an
all-in-one recycling system in your kitchen. For one thing,
it's easy to use: Having a place to throw all of your waste
is nice enough; having a machine that cuts down on trips
outside to throw out that waste is a beautiful thing.

The all-in-one recycling system, created by American company
Mode Products, features a crusher that cuts recyclables down
to about one-third their size. Plastic bottles and cans are
no match for the mechanical crusher located in the front of
the recycling system's top. A press of a lever on the bottom
of the unit activates a crusher that compacts recyclables and
tosses them into the 8-gallon (30.3-liter) waste bin. Since
it's mechanical, the compactor doesn't require electricity to
function, which makes the unit all the more eco-friendly.

Be careful about what you put into the recycling bin. It's
a bad idea to compact absolutely everything. Why? Many
recycling centers outfitted with magnets and lasers to
separate recyclables have trouble turning a profit from
residual waste like pulverized broken glass, especially when
differently colored glass shards are mixed together.
Apparently, Mode Products picked up on this fact and designed
their system accordingly. The rear slot in the 30-inch tall
by 15-inch (38.1-centimeter) wide unit leads directly into
the eight-gallon bin, so glass bottles can be added to the
mix without breaking.

In the front of the unit is an awning slot that accepts paper
waste like junk mail and newspapers. This slot leads to
a separate, five-gallon bin for paper recyclables. So, you've
got two bins for a total of 13 gallons (49.2 liters) of
recyclable material. That's great, but what happens when you
forget to take the bin liners to the curb for pick-up? Mode
Products' all-in-one-recycling system includes an alarm that
can be set to alert its owner when recycling day nears. If
you're the type that likes insentient devices to remind you
of what a conscientious person you are, then this all-in-one
recycling system should be right up your alley. The same
digital display shows a running tally (in pounds) of all of
the recyclables you've fed into it over time.

If single-stream recycling and all-in-one recycling systems
offer any pattern for the future, then it shouldn't be long
before robots start taking our recyclables to the curb for us.
No robe necessary.