31 Days of Goodwill Style - Day 18 - The Goodwill of Delaware Recycling Center

Last week's "more than the store" post was all about the Goodwill of Delaware Outlet.  Today, I am sharing the recycling center.

The recycling center blew my mind...bLeW mY mInD! Remember when all the blue bins went out the door of the outlet?

This is where they went, the Goodwill of Delaware Recycling center.

One of the first stops the blue bins make after entering the recycling center, is the sorting area.

Isn't the sorting area pretty with all the arrows, colors, and labels? Sorry, I just dork out about things like that.

All these labels are things that Goodwill can recycle.

During my behind the scenes tour, I got to sort through a bin.  It sounds easy right? It wasn't so much.  For example, a hanger may have a metal hook but a plastic hangy part...where does it go? A board game box might be cardboard, but the actually game inside might be plastic.  I'm not joking, sorting a bin stretched my brain.

When the sorting was over, here is what was left in that big bin.

That's it! Out of all that stuff in that bin, that little pile is the only part that can't be recycled. Goodwill's goal is to eventually be able to recycle everything.

Once the items are sorted, they go to this machine on the right.  I think it's a baler.

 
I may have totally nerded out about the baler, but c'mon!?! It's giant bales of clothes!!! There are companies that buy these giant clothes bales from Goodwill and makes them into rags and such.

After the items are baled, they are loaded onto trucks and sent off to be recycled more.

 In this truck, the top bale is plastic, the middle bale is metal, and the bottom bale cardboard.  As I was in the truck it was like playing where's Waldo with the bales.

There's a laundry basket.

There's a rubbermaid box.

You know you are looking for the laundry basket now, aren't you.

About a month ago, I went through B's clothes and I had a bag of jeans with blown out knees.  When I donated them, I asked the attendant, do you take jeans with blown out knees.  She told me they did, and I wondered what they even did with them.

If they didn't sell, those jeans were recycled and saved from the landfill all thanks to Goodwill.  

The more I learn about Goodwill of Delaware, the more I love what they do.  They take my old items and do good with them not only for people, but also for the earth.