The Recycling Education Center at Sims Municipal Recycling's materials recovery facility (MRF) in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., provides New York residents of all ages with a safe space to learn about how the city’s recyclables are processed.

“We had a lot of people asking us to come see where we process the city’s recyclables, but there was never a safe environment to have visitors come to our MRF,” says Sims Education and Administrative Coordinator Eadaoin Quinn. “We have now prepared a space that’s safe for people to come visit, and we are happy to show what we are doing here.”

Click through this gallery to view a range of photos from the MRF.