Visit and observe.
Look at collection points and facilities to understand how materials move in practice. Our early work includes visits in New Jersey and Dushanzi.
LOCAL SYSTEMS. SHARED PLANET.
Waste has a journey.
Let’s understand it.
Recyterra is a student-led environmental research project. We study how communities sort, collect, and recycle waste—and share what we learn.
Explore the databaseWHO WE ARE
A clearer picture of recycling.
We’re building a free, noncommercial database of local waste and recycling systems. Through field visits, interviews, and reliable public information, we look at what happens after waste leaves our sight—and where the system can improve.
Our work began in Xinjiang and New Jersey. Hong Kong is the next profile we’re developing.
WHERE IT BEGAN
A local question.
A wider perspective.
Recyterra began with a recycling fine in New Jersey and a question: what really happens to waste after it leaves our sight?
That question led to volunteer observation and facility visits in New Jersey, then fieldwork in Dushanzi, Xinjiang, including an interview with a recycling-station manager. This website brings those local investigations together so they can be shared and compared.
WHAT WE STUDY
The whole system.
Beyond the bin.
Each complete city profile will cover seven parts of its waste and recycling system.
Making comparisons meaningful
A shared framework helps readers compare local rules and operations, understand differences, and identify where improvements may be possible.
Sorting rules
What residents separate and which materials each category accepts.
Collection & transport
Who collects waste, how it travels, and where it goes next.
Recycling facilities
The collection points, sorting stations, and recovery facilities serving an area.
Processing pathways
How materials are sorted, recovered, or treated after collection.
Policy & responsibility
The local rules and organizations that shape how the system operates.
Public participation
How people take part, what guidance they receive, and what gets in the way.
Problems & opportunities
The practical challenges observed and the places where the system could improve.
HOW WE LEARN
Start with the places.
Listen to the people.
Our research brings together field observations, local interviews, and reliable public information.
Listen to local experience.
Talk with people involved in recycling to understand the decisions and difficulties behind daily operations. The Dushanzi research includes a recycling-station manager’s perspective.
Check, share, and update.
Compare findings with reliable public sources. As records are published, include references and verification dates, and revisit them when information changes.
The database
Explore Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and New Jersey.
What’s next
See how our research can lead to local improvements.