From there, Smith's cans, bottles and newspapers are taken to one of the community' recycling centers.
The city of Charlotte actually contracts with a private company to process the recyclables.
This plant is operated by a company called FCR. The recycling trucks pull into FCR each weekday morning to drop off the used of material.
Inside the processing center at FCR is bustling with activity.
One of the first things you notice in the 26,000 square-foot facility is a huge mound of materials called the commingle area.
Basically it's a big pile of assorted trash.
There are forklifts transporting garbage and people sorting through it.
Across from the sorters and the commingle area is a mound of newspaper.
Of the material brought to FCR, three quarters of it is newsprint.
Paula Hoffman is an education coordinator at FCR, she conducts tours of the plant for more than 1,000 people a month.
Back in the quiet of FCR's auditorium, Paula Hoffman describes what happens to the sorted and processed recyclables the company receives from Catherine Smith and the thousands of other area residents.
Hoffman says they are sold to other companies that then make them into different products.
You food and beverage glass containers are always made into new food and beverage containers.
You aluminum beverage cans are, for the biggest percentage of the time, made into new aluminum beverage cans.
25% of all beverage, Coca-cola, Pepsi bottles are now made into new Pepsi or Coke bottles.
However, a certain percentage is also made into other products such as the fuzz on a tennis ball, carpeting, ah, your number two plastic... a lot of it is made into plastic wood.
Charlotte, the surrounding county, and FCR are glad to add new recyclables to their program, as long as there is a need for the recycled material,
From its high participation rate to the quality end product, Charlotte's recycling program is considered one of the top five in the nation.
But ultimately, the success of the Charlotte area recycling program can be traced to the curbsides of the many individual citizens who like Catherine Smith are active participants in the program.
B. Read the following questions. Answer them in note form, if necessary, listen once more.