Abstract: A recycling plant comprises a main conveyor that rotates horizontally near ground level. Collected mixed refuse is brought in by trucks on a driveway surrounding the main conveyer. Loaders or dozers are used to move the refuse onto the main conveyer where it will enter a processing unit straddling the main conveyer. Two or more such processing units can be positioned around the circle formed by the main conveyer. An adjustable height conveyer rides on top of the heaps of refuse entering on the main conveyor and compresses the mass so it can enter a first grinding mill. The refuse is ground and torn into small pieces. A second grinding mill further reduces the size of the pieces. A magnetic pickup uses electromagnets to levitate out bits of iron and steel which are carried away and put in a salvage bin. A manual sorting and picking station with takeaway conveyors and salvage bins allows personnel to manually pick paper, plastic, and glass for recycling.