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How are Glass Bottles Recycled?

Y. Chen
Y. Chen

Glass recycling is considered by many to be a sustainable activity, in which humans attempt to preserve biodiversity and the environment. Being completely recyclable, glass bottles are an important component of the three R's in sustainability: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Glass can be crushed into a basic form called cullet, and mixed with other raw materials, including silica sand, soda ash, and limestone. This mixture is heated until it melts, turning into liquid glass that can be formed into new shapes. After the glass manufacturing process, glass containers are used to hold all kinds of food and beverages, and can be used over and over again.

The glass recycling process has specific standards that start from the consumer side. Before curbside and other recycling programs send vehicles to take recyclable glass containers to the factory, homeowners are encouraged to sort appropriate containers into bins for pickup, which is the first step in the recycling process. A sorting process with restrictions rules out container glass that is considered to be tainted; that is, those that contain foreign materials like ceramics and light bulbs. Glass with foreign material in it is no longer considered to be pure, would create issues in the recycling process, and is therefore ultimately considered unrecyclable.

Glass should be cleaned before put into recycling bins.
Glass should be cleaned before put into recycling bins.

If homeowners have not done this already, the recycling plant must then clean containers, removing labels and caps, before the remainder is crushed into cullet. Caps and labels that are not removed may damage the glass-making machines during the manufacturing process or end up making new glass containers of low quality, which consumers are then unwilling to buy and use.

Recycling turns waste into reusable materials.
Recycling turns waste into reusable materials.

The glass manufacturer is an essential player in the glass recycling process. Primarily, it bulk exports manufactured glass containers to product producers, who use those containers as packaging for their goods. The goods are imported as wholesale retail to the consumer, who buys the good for personal use. At this point, the user is responsible for choosing whether to reuse, throw away, or recycle the packaging.

Bottle caps and labels need to be removed for recycling purposes.
Bottle caps and labels need to be removed for recycling purposes.

If the user chooses glass recycling, he follows protocol by removing caps and labels before placing the glass containers in the appropriate bins, to be taken to the recycling plant where it is either processed or determined unfit for recycling. At the plant, the process starts all over again whereby crushed cullet is recombined with silica sand, soda ash, and limestone to make more glass containers to perpetuate the cycle.

Discussion Comments

Kristee

I would hate to be the person who has to go through all that waste glass for recycling in order to separate out the unusable parts from the actual glass. I imagine that they must have to wear thick gloves to keep from getting cut or infected. This wouldn't be a good job for a germaphobe like me.

StarJo

@giddion – You could always do your own glass recycling. If you are willing to wash all those bottles out, you could probably find uses for them around your home.

I recycle some of my glass beverage bottles by taking them to a glass recycling center, but I save a few to use as flower vases. I like to keep fresh flowers on my kitchen table, and I also like giving glass bottles of flowers to friends who are under the weather or sad.

My brother reuses his glass bottles for storing coins. He has a different bottle for each type of coin, and this separation makes rolling them much easier.

giddion

I wish that my community offered glass recycling bins. We aren't too environmentally advanced around here, and I don't even think we have a recycling center within a hundred miles.

People are always throwing out glass bottles on the sides of the road. This is so dangerous, and if I had anywhere to take them besides the landfill, I would make it a point to collect them once a week.

anon82025

this is so confusing. I'm doing a project on the steps of recycling glass and almost everything is blocked. Help!

anon44611

it can be recycled but its unrecycleable. what's going on?

anon36703

so wait... glass bottles are not being recycled any more? it's confusing.

anon28859

hi anon377 -

that is actually *not* true. the glass is actually crushed in the process, so broken glass doesn't affect the recycling process but, the collector may refuse to pickup broken glass for safety purposes.

anon7289

Hello

I am thinking of starting a glass pickup service in an area of the northwest that does not recycle glass presently. I am trying to find the closet manufacturer of glass, that uses recycled glass. thanks for the help

s

anon377

I heard that broken glass can not be recycled, is this true?

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    • Glass should be cleaned before put into recycling bins.
      By: RTimages
      Glass should be cleaned before put into recycling bins.
    • Recycling turns waste into reusable materials.
      By: Moultipix
      Recycling turns waste into reusable materials.
    • Bottle caps and labels need to be removed for recycling purposes.
      By: lucato
      Bottle caps and labels need to be removed for recycling purposes.
    • Soda ash, which is used in recycling glass bottles.
      By: Aaron Amat
      Soda ash, which is used in recycling glass bottles.
    • A glass bottle.
      By: Elnur
      A glass bottle.
    • Labels should be removed from glass bottles prior to recycling.
      By: Aleš Nowák
      Labels should be removed from glass bottles prior to recycling.
    • Before glass bottles can be recycled, they must be cleaned and free of labels and caps.
      By: photka
      Before glass bottles can be recycled, they must be cleaned and free of labels and caps.