Paper & Cardboard
Plastics
Glass Bottles
Aluminium Cans
Construction & Demolition
Timber

At Greyhound  we believe that waste is not a problem but a valuable commodity and is therefore a potential revenue stream.

We analyse the waste produce and identify the types of materials that can and cannot  be recycled. It is our policy to examine all material presented and provide a full transparent traceability from source to recycling.

Recycling Paper & Cardboard

Good clean, dry waste paper and cardboard are segregated, baled  and prepared for paper mills for recycling in to new paper goods such as newsprint, boxes and office paper. Waste paper is processed in accordance with the European Standard CEN 643 for the different types of waste paper.

Paper/Cardboard Journey
1. Segregation and Baling
Segregate at source, by placing newspapers and cardboard in the relevant specified recycling bins. The material is collected and delivered to our recycling and recovery facility in Clondalkin. They are processed ready for exporting to paper mills worldwide.
2. Pulping
The recycling process begins by creating a fibrous pulp from the paper. This is done by shredding the paper and combining it with large amounts of water. The mixture is then stirred until all the paper has broken down into individual fibres.
3. Cleaning
The next stage is the cleaning process. All foreign objects are removed by using special filters and cleaning techniques. These objects may include paper clips, staples, string and dirt.
4. De-inking
All printed paper, such as newspaper and magazines, need to have the ink removed before they can be turned into paper. This process is called de-inking. The inky-residue that is collected as waste from this process is sold as a soil conditioner.
5. Draining
Once the pulp is clean, it is ready to be drained and dried. The draining process consists of a large sieve like device in which the pulp is collected. This is continuously moving, allowing the water to drain from the pulp.
6. Drying
The drying process is the final stage of producing the recycled paper. The paper is passed through a drying machine, on a series of rollers that flatten the pulp to remove any remaining moisture and mesh the pulp fibres together to produce paper.
7. End Product
The dried product is then rolled onto large reels before it is sent to other factories to produce the end product. This process can be repeated up to eight times for each fibre.
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Recycling Plastics

We produce and use 20 times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago! It is increasingly being used in packaging, construction and automotive markets.
Ireland currently recycles or recovers approximately 19% of all plastic consumed. This is set to increase to over 25% by 2010.

Overall, recycling plastic:

• reduces the volume of waste going into landfill.
• reduces the amount of oil used for plastic production.
• reduces the amount of energy consumed.

For customers adopting a policy of specifying recycled materials there is  a number of significant benefits:

• Cost advantage in the majority of applications.
• Strategic approach to alleviate the risk of more mandatory measures (eg packaging taxation).
• Positive PR opportunity.

Publicly Available Specification (PAS)
PAS 103 is a classification and grading system for the quality of collected waste plastics packaging intended for recycling. Through this system the value of the materials being bought and sold will increase, markets for the waste will expand and the trading process will be simplified through the adoption of a common language.

Plastic Journey
1. Segregation and Baling
Plastic is either baled onsite or segregated from other waste streams. Plastic is delivered to our recycling and recovery plant in Clondalkin. By preparing, processing and categorising the waste plastics accurately, the material will be far more valuable. Baled plastics are shipped worldwide for recycling.
2. Chopping and Washing
Once the baled plastic has arrived at its destination it is washed and chopped into flakes.
3. Flotation Tank 
If mixed plastics are being recycled, they are sorted in a flotation tank, where some types of plastic sink and others float.
4. Drying
The plastic flakes are dried in a tumble dryer.
5. Melting
The dried flakes are fed into an extruder, where heat and pressure melt the plastic. Different types of plastics melt at different temperatures.
6. Filtering
The molten plastic is forced through a fine screen to remove any contaminants that slipped through the washing process. The molten plastic is then formed into strands.
7. Pelletising
The strands are cooled in water, then chopped into uniform pellets. Manufacturing companies buy the plastic pellets from recyclers to make new products. Recycled plastics also can be made into flowerpots, lumber, and carpeting. 
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Recycling Glass Bottles

Every household in Ireland uses on average 331 bottles and jars per year.

Glass Journey
1. Glass bottles and jars are separated by colour and deposited into the relevant bottle bank and transported to the material recovery facility.
Amber & green glass is made by adding a colouring agent during the original glass-manufacturing process; this colour cannot be removed. Therefore, brown bottles can only make other brown bottles.
2. When the glass is taken to a manufacturing or recycling plant, it is broken up into smaller pieces called cullet.
3. The broken pieces are crushed, sorted, cleaned, and melted and mixed with other raw materials in the glass-making process to make new containers.
The cost savings of recycling is in the use of energy. When glass is first made, high temperatures are needed to melt and combine all the ingredients. Since cullet melts at a lower temperature, the more of it you add to a batch of raw materials, the less energy you will need to melt it.

• Recycling glass is not only cost-efficient; it benefits the environment in several ways.
• Glass produced from recycled glass instead of raw materials reduces related air pollution by 20% and related water pollution by 50%.
• Throwaway bottles consume three times as much energy as reusable, returnable containers.
• Recycling glass reduces the space in landfills that would otherwise be taken up by used bottles and jars.

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Recycling Aluminum Cans

We use approximately 5 billion aluminum drinks cans per year, of which  only 42% are recycled.
Aluminum Can Journey 
1. Aluminum cans collected are sent to processing companies.  There, they condense the cans into highly dense, 30-pound briquettes or 1,200-pound bales and send them off to aluminum companies for melting.
2. The condensed cans are shredded, crushed and stripped of their inside and outside decorations via a burning process.  Then aluminum pieces are loaded into melting furnaces, where the recycled metal is blended with new, virgin aluminum.
3. The molten aluminum is then poured into 25-foot long ingots that weigh over 30,000 pounds.  The ingots are fed into rolling mills that reduce the thickness of the metal.
4. This metal is then coiled and sent to can makers, who produce can bodies and lids.  They, in turn, deliver cans to beverage companies for filling.
5. The new cans are then ready to return to store shelves in as little as 60 days, only to go through the entire recycling process again!

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Construction & Demolition Recycling

Materials can often be re-used again in construction following negligible or no further treatment. Secondary re-use is also possible where materials are sent to be recycled into new construction materials.
Construction/Demolition material can be broken down into a number of sub-categories, these include:

• Concrete.
• Bricks.
• Rubble.
• Slates/tiles.

Segregation and Recovery
The technology for the segregation and recovery of stone and concrete from C&D waste is well established and readily accessible. 
There is also a ready re-use market for aggregates, as fill for road, drainage and other construction projects.  With its high volume/weight ratio, the recovery of C&D waste can:

• Make a very significant contribution to overall recycling targets.
• Extend the life of existing landfill sites.
• Reduce the demand on gravel pits and stone quarries.
• Lead to more efficient and better use of natural resources.
• Reduce transport costs where reused on site or nearby.
• Reduce environmental impacts.
• Improve profits through savings (up to 60% in some areas) on ground development costs.

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Timber

Waste timber can be chipped and used for example in the manufacture of chipboard and garden mulch. Energy can be generated from waste timber in wood fuelled boilers. Sawdust can be used for animal bedding.
Timber can be broken down into a number of sub-categories, these include-

• Wood packaging.
• Wood.
• Wooden pallets.
• Sawdust.

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