So on Wednesday we went to a paper recycling plant. I really thought the smell would be ok because it was just paper but it smelled pretty bad inside. Imagine the smell of boiling paper. Anyway, here are some pics. 

First the mixed paper recycling is put into a pulper where it’s mixed with water and stirred really fast to start breaking it down. It then goes into a bunch of equipment that filters out impurities (like bits of plastic, or tape).

This was a bunch of paper pulp that is getting ready to be made into big sheets. I don’t know exactly what this machine does because it was too loud for me to hear the explanation. 

This is a machine that puts paper on rolls and it can roll paper at 1 km/minute. Pretty cool!

Some finished rolls of paper. 90% of what this plant produces is rolls to be sent to other places to make products like cardboard. 

About 10% of the recycled paper produced is made into final products at the plant. They make paper bags and wrapping paper for delis. 

After the paper plant we went to a different facility that recovers material from street sweeping waste and sediment. They collect rocks, sand, and clay that can be used in construction. They also treat contaminated soil. I don’t have any pictures of this plant because I was having an awful time there. It was really hot and the whole tour was outside and there was very little shade. Also the place was swarming with flies and biting gnats. Later in the day, some of the boys noticed small red bites on them and were afraid they were bedbugs. Then we realized that we all had them, including the Italian students who came on this trip with us, and we concluded that they’re from the gnats. 

Then we went to the beach! It was a nice beach with clear, calm water that was a good temperature. Annalisa ordered 20 pizzas for lunch and we ate them on the beach. 

We were given the option to either spend the whole time at the beach or go to a nearby archeological site and I went to the archeological site. It was an old Roman town and I really enjoyed walking around it but don’t have much to say about it. All the plachards were just like “this was a building.”  

I think this was a temple.

Mosiac floors from a wealthy family’s house. 

There was an amphitheater.

So yeah that was our Wednesday trip. Ciao