“Recycling” is largely a euphemism for “we burn that shit, or dump it in a landfill, potentially in some far away country, so you don’t see and smell it”. That’s why “recyclers” love waste that combusts well and has a high energy content. Separation of plastic, paper, and aluminium occurs at the combustion stage, it’s a very simple and straightforward process you can even accomplish with the simplest of equipment at home. You light it on fire and the plastic and paper burn, while the aluminium melts.