See Where Your Recyclable Materials Go!
What happens to your recycling when it leaves the curb? What is a recycling sorting facility? What can be recycled? There are many steps in the recycling process! Wake County Solid Waste Division staff partner with Sonoco Recycling, a privately owned company in Raleigh, to help Wake County residents understand how recyclable materials are sorted.
Visit Sonoco Recycling on a free tour to get all your recycling questions answered. Wake County Solid Waste staff host several types of group tours.
What Kinds of Group Tours are Offered?
Group tours are available upon request. There is no minimum age, but a minimum of eight people is required. Group tours may be scheduled Monday–Friday from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Tours last approximately one hour.
In-Classroom Presentations: The vast majority of tours offered at Sonoco Recycling take place entirely inside the classroom on the facility's second floor. Classroom tours are the only type offered for groups that include individuals under the age of 18. Individuals who prefer to be seated while learning should also request a classroom tour.
The classroom includes windows where visitors can view the sorting floor. The tour guide will show live video feed of the sorting floor as well as pre-recorded videos of specific machines. Attendees will learn what can be recycled, explore the steps in the sorting process, and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Walking Floor Tours: These tours consist of walking alongside the machines on the sorting floor. These tours are very loud and require climbing metal stairs. Personal protection equipment will be provided and must be worn at all times while on the sorting floor. All attendees must wear closed-toed shoes and long pants. Participants must be at least 18 years old.
Public Tours: Wake County Solid Waste staff host quarterly tours for individuals who want to visit Sonoco Recycling without organizing a group. Email Chelsea.arey@wake.gov to find out the date of the next public tour.