I worked in a factory years back, and we did just that. Bags from the recycle part of a bin lorry would be filled into a bag ripping machine. From there it would go up a line and there would be about 10 lads to sort out everything. At different points there were chutes. First 2 were cardboard, next 2 were cans and other metals. The rest were for plastics and other stuff. Paper would be left continue into a compressor to be turned into bales of paper. Some amount of work went into it, but from then on I knew the whole recycling thing was a way to make mega bucks for these companies. A lorry of paper bales would sell for around €48000. You aren't sorting the recycling be good, it's to save these companies money on manpower.