You probably don’t think about what happens to your trash once it leaves your curbside bin or dumpster, but the items you throw away have a long journey ahead of them. Depending on the item, it may end up in a landfill, be recycled, or be transformed into energy through composting, anaerobic digestion, and waste-to-energy processing.

The first step occurs when garbage is collected and hauled away by heavy trucks to a waste transfer station or recycling center, where it gets sorted. Trash and recyclables are separated so that similar materials don’t get mixed together, which helps to reduce the amount of waste sent to a landfill.

What Happens to the Waste Removed? Disposal Explained

After sorting, septic company is baled and sent on their way to recycling centers, where they’re converted into new materials, which reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills. Many cities aim to increase their recycling rates to cut down on the amount of garbage they send to landfills and conserve natural resources.

As for human waste, it goes through a series of steps to become safe and clean water. In the beginning, sewage goes through primary filtration to remove any non-digestible things (like a condom that was flushed). This poo goo then enters a series of small ponds where it’s pumped with oxygen to help bacteria break down any remaining digestible poop. The clean water is then released into a nearby waterway.

The rest of the sewage then heads to a wastewater treatment plant, where it undergoes secondary treatment. The sewage goes through another series of lagoons — this time filled with plants like cattails and bull rushes that uptake some of the toxins in the wastewater. After this, the sewage is sprayed with a chemical called chlorine to kill any bacteria that could pose a health risk to people and animals in the area. It’s then filtered again, and then pumped back into waterways to continue its journey in the water cycle.

Crown Pumping, LLC
“3722 S 119th Street
Omaha, NE 68144”
(402) 957-7449