How are steel cans removed from mixed recyclables at a materials recovery facility?

At a materials recovery facility (MRF), commingled recyclables are typically processed on a conveyor belt to facilitate sorting.1

Steel cans, which are primarily made of steel with a thin coating of tin, are removed from the waste stream using an electromagnetic separator. This process leverages the magnetic properties of ferrous metals to lift or pull the steel items away from the other materials on the conveyor. Once the steel cans have been extracted, the remaining materials continue through the facility to be sorted by other mechanical means, such as vibrating screens for glass removal and air classifiers or eddy-current separators for aluminum and plastics.123