8 strange things Reworld has recycled

Reworld's business is sustainably solving complex waste management challenges for businesses and communities in North America. The company specializes in tacking many different types of waste and removing, treating, and then reusing it, recycling it, turning it into energy, or safely returning it to nature as raw components. In the world of waste solutions, Reworld employees say they have seen it all — from the unexpected yet familiar, to the undeniably weird.

Eight times Reworld "transformed the strange into the sustainable"

1. Especially "light" tomato sauce: One rogue flashlight slipped into a jar of tomato sauce that was quickly lost to the assembly line, jeopardizing the entire batch. Reworld recycled all the packaging and composted the contents.
2. Macro-scale microwavables: A microwavable snack that many people have enjoyed on the go had a recall on a macro scale when it was exposed to bacteria. Instead of its 1,500 truckloads being sent to a landfill, Reworld provided its own logistics solutions and processed that entire stream into renewable energy.
3. Soda that fell flat: When a new soda was poorly received by the market, Reworld gave the situation some much-needed effervescence by fully recycling its 6,000 cases. Despite the product falling flat, the solutions to handle it ended up helping their brand's sustainability efforts pop!
4. "Big shot" and "high-risk" goods: Over the years, Reworld has securely managed and destroyed a lot of illegal materials on behalf of law enforcement agencies. Seized weapons, intercepted contraband, and plenty of drugs — with 50 tons of cocaine (a weight equivalent to over 30 cars) being one recent example.
5. Top-dollar materials: Reworld has also processed illegal tender. Due to printing errors, one load included thousands in 100-dollar bills. When this happens, Reworld can recycle the cash into products like agricultural beddings, absorbents, or low-carbon fuel, or turn it into cost-effective renewable energy — a rare case where "burning money" ends up saving it.
6. Pandemic pandemonium: From face masks to gloves, the amount of contaminated, pandemic-related PPE that was in need of safe and secure destruction was in the billions globally. During that crazy time, Reworld handled loads of it domestically, eliminating its risks and transforming it into renewable energy to further support our communities. Even today, the amount of medical waste the company manages on behalf of the healthcare industry "is nothing to sneeze at".
7. Toys with grub: A storage site that housed toys meant for children's meals was infested with bugs, meaning the toys had to be destroyed due to food safety requirements. Reworld recycled its components and processed what remained into renewable energy, ensuring no creepy crawlies (or toys contaminated by them) became unexpected surprises.
8. Eerie effigies: One of the creepiest, most unsettling jobs Reworld has encountered: processing truckloads of discarded mannequins. Reworld employees say that seeing their human-like, contorted shapes wrapped up and sent for processing was chilling, despite the warmth coming from the thermomechanical treatment facility's combustion chamber.

As strange as these examples may be, they highlight an important truth, says Reworld: every type of waste, no matter how unusual, offers an opportunity to be processed in a sustainable way. Whether it's turning failed food products into energy, safely destroying high-risk materials, or recycling the odd remnants of industries into new products or low-carbon fuel, Reworld aims to ensure that there is always an opportunity to create value from even the weirdest of waste streams.