Rethinking Recycling

摘要

On many days it just looks like a load of garbage," says David Steiner, CEO ofWaste Management, referencing the company's recycling processing plant in Houston. It is a loud, stinky, dusty, 40,000-square-foot Rube Goldberg machine that handles 300 tons a day. Material flies from one conveyor belt to another. Magnets pull off steel cans. Screens skim up cardboard and paper. Optical sensors trigger air puffers that pop bottles into the right chutes.