What Happens to My Trash After It’s Collected?

NASA Services
Sep 1
2 min read

Have you ever wondered what happens to your trash after it’s picked up from your home or business by NASA Services? Most people see their bins emptied and trucks drive away, but the journey of your waste doesn’t end there. Understanding how trash is managed not only helps customers stay informed but also highlights the critical role waste companies play in keeping our communities clean and sustainable.

Step 1: Collection & Transportation

Once your trash, recycling, or organic bin is collected, it is transported by NASA Services trucks to designated facilities. Depending on the type of waste, this may be a transfer station, materials recovery facility (MRF), recycling center, composting site, or landfill.

Eye-level view of a residential street with trash bins lined up for collection — Trash Going Through a Sorting Machine

Step 2: Sorting & Recycling

Recyclables such as paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, and metals are separated at specialized facilities. High-tech sorting systems and careful manual checks ensure that as many materials as possible are recovered and repurposed.

Paper & cardboard → recycled into new paper products.
Plastics → transformed into packaging, textiles, and building materials.
Glass & metals → melted down and reused almost indefinitely.

Close-up of a recycling bin filled with holiday wrapping paper and cardboard boxes — Stacked bales of compacted recyclable materials

Step 3: Organic Waste & Composting

Food scraps, green waste, and other organic material collected by NASA Services can be diverted from landfills. Instead, they are processed into compost or renewable energy through anaerobic digestion, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create valuable soil amendments for farms and gardens.

Step 4: Landfill Disposal

Not all waste can be recycled or composted. Non-recyclable trash is carefully transported to permitted landfills, where it is engineered for environmental safety. Modern landfills include liners, monitoring systems, and gas collection technology that reduces environmental impact.

High angle view of compost bins filled with holiday food scraps — NASA Services waste collection truck unloading mixed trash at a recycling and transfer facility.

Step 5: Energy Recovery & Sustainability

In many cases, trash that cannot be recycled is used in waste-to-energy programs, generating electricity while reducing the volume of material going to landfills. This is one more way NASA Services helps close the loop on waste management.

Why It Matters

By understanding the lifecycle of your trash, you can make smarter choices about what goes into your bins. Every properly sorted item helps conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and create a cleaner Los Angeles for future generations.

At NASA Services, we are committed to providing reliable waste collection, recycling solutions, and sustainable practices for residents and businesses across Los Angeles. Whether it’s trash pickup, recycling programs, or organic waste services, our mission is to make waste management simple, responsible, and environmentally conscious.