Automated process and method for material separation and recycling

1 . An automated process for separating and recycling a broad mix of waste material including industrial and commercial streams, the process comprising:

collecting the broad mix of waste material;

sorting the broad mix of waste material to remove contamination from the broad mix of waste material;

shredding the broad mix of waste material;

removing plastic film from the broad mix of waste material, creating a stream of:

(a) plastic film wherein the plastic film is less than 0.010 inches thick, and

(b) a separate stream of dirty cardboard; and

separating, with an optical sorter, residual plastic from the stream of dirty cardboard wherein the residual plastic is directed to either the plastic stream or an independent third stream,

wherein separate streams of the residual plastic and a clean recycled cardboard each having a purity of at least about 95% are created.

2 . The automated process according to claim 1 , wherein the broad mix of waste material is collected into at least one of a container, a stationary compactor, and a self-contained compactor.

3 . The automated process according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of compacting the broad mix of waste material after the broad mix of waste material is collected.

4 . The automated process according to claim 1 , wherein the broad mix of waste material includes cardboard, plastic, and trash.

5 . The automated process according to claim 1 , wherein the stream of plastic film includes polyester and polyolefin.

6 . The automated process according to claim 1 , further comprising:

cutting the stream of plastic film into flakes;

pelletizing the flakes into pellets; and

subjecting the pellets to solid state polycondensation.

7 . The automated process according to claim 1 , wherein the contamination or the independent third stream includes non-recyclable plastic, and the process further comprises:

sending the non-recyclable plastic to a landfill resulting in waste collection credits under a certified standard; and

sending the stream of plastic film to a recycler resulting in both waste collection credits and waste recycling credits under a certified standard.

8 . A system for separating and recycling a broad mix of waste material including industrial and commercial streams, the system comprising:

at least one of a container, a stationary compactor, and a self-contained compactor into which the broad mix of waste material is collected;

a sorter for sorting the broad mix of waste material to remove contamination from the broad mix of waste material;

a shredder for coarsely shredding the broad mix of waste material; and

at least one optical sorter and an air separation device for

separating plastic film, wherein the plastic film is less than 0.010 inches thick, from the broad mix to create a stream of cardboard and

including the plastic film either in a stream of film-rich recycled plastic or in an independent third stream, wherein the stream of film-rich recycled plastic and the stream of cardboard each have a purity of at least about 95%.

9 . The system according to claim 8 , wherein the broad mix of waste material includes cardboard, plastic, and trash.

10 . The system according to claim 8 , wherein the separate stream of film-rich recycled plastic includes polyester and polyolefin.

11 . The system according to claim 8 , further comprising a secondary plastics automated recycling center for cutting the plastic film contained in the film-rich recycled plastic stream into flakes.

12 . The system according to claim 11 , further comprising a pelletizer for pelletizing the flakes into pellets, subjecting the pellets to solid state polycondensation, and creating a recycled product.

13 . The system according to claim 12 , further comprising a manufacturing facility for accepting the recycled product and manufacturing a new product.

14 . The system according to claim 8 , wherein the contamination or the independent third stream includes non-recyclable plastic, the system further comprising a landfill receiving the non-recyclable plastic which results in waste collection credits under a certified standard.

15 . The system according to claim 14 , further comprising a recycler receiving the film-rich recycled plastic stream which results in both waste collection credits and waste recycling credits under a certified standard.

16 . One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

collect a broad mix of waste material including industrial and commercial streams;

sort the broad mix of waste material to remove contamination from the broad mix of waste material;

shred the broad mix of waste material;

remove plastic film, wherein the plastic film removed is less than 0.010 inches thick, from the broad mix of waste material with an optical sorter, creating a stream of plastic film and a separate stream of dirty cardboard; and

separate residual plastic from the stream of dirty cardboard and include that residual plastic either in the plastic stream or in an independent third stream, wherein separate streams of a film-rich recycled plastic and a clean recycled cardboard each having a purity of at least about 95% are created.