How to Build a Recycling Sorting Machine for Metal & Paper

What happens AFTER your recycling gets picked up?

Explore how metal and paper get recycled by building your own mini version of a sorting machine with your kids by using tools already in your own home!

All you will need is:

  • Pieces of paper

  • An empty toilet paper or paper towel roll

  • Four magnets

  • Several handfuls of metal paper clips

  • A plastic bottle

  • A small cup or container

Home Project: Sorting Metal and Paper

Follow the instructions in this amazing video tutorial provided by Science Buddies.

Why magnets?

Magnets are a very important part of recycling machines. Usually, they are used to separate different types of cans. In this experiment, the magnets will play a creative role in sorting paper items from metal ones.

But first, why is recycling so important?

Recycling means taking used objects (like cans, plastics, newspapers, magazines, and glass bottles) and transforming their materials into new products that can be used again. Instead of always creating an entirely new item—let’s say a glass bottle—we can create one using the glass that we already have.

Another upside to recycling is that it needs less energy than the amount required to create a brand new product. It helps to reduce pollution in the air, in water, and on land.

One of the goals of recycling is to reduce waste that goes into the oceans and the soil. Recycling protects nature by reusing what is already available. This way, we are taking care of the planet’s resources—trees, minerals, and fossil fuels, in particular.

Here are how various materials can be recycled:

Paper can be recycled up to 7 times! Most paper is made of trees, but if we recycle more of it, then fewer trees will be used for creating it in the first place.

Glass jars and bottles are crushed, melted, and then used to create new glass jars and bottles. That process can be endlessly repeated, which means we don’t need to produce new glass in order to make new glass products—we can just reuse the glass we already have in circulation!

Metal cans of all sizes—just like glass—can be infinitely recycled too.

Clean cardboard continues its life by being chopped, washed, and heated to create new cereal boxes, paper towels, and tissues. Psst: We would like to highlight the word clean, as greasy pizza boxes can’t be recycled, unfortunately. But the majority of the delivery boxes can be!

Plastics are a complicated recycling topic because there are 7 different types of them and it all depends on what types of recycling facilities are available in the area where you live.

But one thing is for sure: plastics need to be clean when sorted for recycling! Milk jugs, water/soda bottles, salad dressing bottles, medicine jars, peanut butter jars, juice containers, grocery bags, trash bags, shampoo and conditioner bottles, soap and detergent containers can be recycled in most places, but remember to clean them well before placing them in your bin.

To recap, these are the 3 easy steps to help you adopt recycling as a daily habit:

  1. Keep your eyes peeled for items made of paper, metal, glass, and collect them.

  2. Research the local recycling rules.

  3. Clean your items, and if necessary, separate them into piles of glass, metal, plastic, and paper because different materials are usually recycled in different ways.

Now let’s make our own recycling sorting machines at home!

We cannot wait to see your recycling machines. Share them with us on Instagram and tag us at @KvaroyKids!