I know they use a magnet to seperate metal, and I know how they get paper out, but what about glass and plastic?
The metal and plastic parts are sometimes bonded together and are not readily separated by conventional means. Scrap which includes both metal and plastic such as polyvinyl chloride should not be remelted because the plastic will produce noxious gas such as chlorine. Accordingly, an improved technique is desired for separating metal and plastic components from recyclable material such as metal closures with plastic liners therein.
It depends on the setup. The low-tech system is to do it by hand. In a high-tech set-up, an gust of air blows the subtances apart. For example, glass is more dense than plastics, so it takes less force to blow the plastics off to the side.
