County Magazine's "Trash Talk" segment visited a materials recovery facility near Fairfax County to show how plastics from curbside recycling are processed and what residents should avoid putting in their blue bins.

The on-site worker demonstrated accepted commodities and urged residents to "leave the lid on," explaining that very small items can fall through sorting screens if detached. "Best thing I can tell you is leave the lid on," the worker said, noting that items with a distinct neck are generally recyclable. He said hard plastics with visible necks, and common household HDPE bottles, are baled and shipped as commodities for remanufacture into household items and sometimes fabric.

The worker emphasized some items are routinely rejected: small or multi-material items (for example, disposable razors that contain metal), black plastics and anything containing batteries. Lithium-ion and other batteries pose a fire risk in facilities because they can ignite quickly when they enter the processing stream, the worker said.

Staff asked residents not to bag recyclables. Bagged materials can pass through screens and clog or jam sorting equipment; sorters sometimes must break bags open to access contents, which raises safety concerns and slows processing. "Please do not bag your recyclables," the host restated after the tour.

The facility representative said the plant compiles separate bales for natural HDPE, colored plastics and other commodities, then ships containers domestically and internationally to manufacturers. The program highlighted that not everything placed in a home recycling bin is ultimately recycled and encouraged residents to reduce single-use plastics where possible in addition to following acceptance guidelines.

The episode named the on-site worker as "Arturo Campos" when introducing the visit; later the host addressed someone as "Abdul." The transcript contains both names; the facility representative's advice and demonstrations are presented in the program as the operational guidance from the facility staff on the tour.

What residents should do, based on the facility tour: leave lids on bottles; do not bag recyclables; avoid putting batteries, black plastics or very small/multi-material items in curbside recycling.