Recycling At Home - Glass
Did you know that on average every UK family uses 500 glass bottles and jars every year? And that glass makes up about 8% of the average household dustbin? The recycling of two glass bottles saves enough energy to boil the water to make five cups of tea! Glass that goes to landfill from our dustbins will never decompose because it is not biodegradable, therefore it will always remain in the earth. Glass can be endlessly recycled with no compromise in quality, so that in itself is a good reason to make sure we do not put glass into our dustbins. In addition, glass recycling means that there is less demand for raw materials to make new glass. The annual use of glass in the UK amounts to 3.6 million tonnes, and the recycling rate stands at 1 million tonnes, so there is a lot of scope for increasing the recycling figures.Reasons to Recycle Glass -
To reduce landfill costs - If we all recycle the 8% of our rubbish that is glass, savings can be made by reducing the overall amount of waste to be disposed of, thus cutting the costs for local authorities and waste disposal contractors. In addition the life of landfill sites is also extended.
To conserve energy - Glass is made up of cheap and plentiful raw materials, however large amounts of these materials are required to produce new glass. Glass is made up from a mixture of sand (72%), soda ash (14%) and limestone (12%). These raw materials are melted in a furnace at more than 1500 degrees centigrade which requires large amounts of energy. Using cullet (recycled glass) saves the energy required to extract and deliver these raw materials.
To conserve the environment - For every tonne of waste glass used in a furnace there is a saving of 1.2 tonnes of primary raw materials. This reduces quarrying for sand and limestone which contributes to the preservation of our countryside.
Employment - Glass recycling employs many people throughout the UK. Glass collection schemes create jobs locally and some local authorities use money raised by these schemes to help voluntary organisations and charities.
What Glass Can I recycle?
What Glass Can I recycle?
All glass containers can be recycled.
Glass that cannot be recycled in the usual way includes lightbulbs, flat window glass, vehicle windscreens, and Pyrex and Visionware which are often used for cooking ware.
Glass that cannot be recycled in the usual way includes lightbulbs, flat window glass, vehicle windscreens, and Pyrex and Visionware which are often used for cooking ware.
How Do I Recycle Glass?
Try to re-use glass yourself - for storage etc.
Kerbside collection by your local authority - many councils now have a collection service for glass.
Take your glass to bottle banks at the same time as you go shopping - this saves your energy and fuel use in the car. The banks usually have separate sections for clear, green and brown glass; blue glass can go into the green section.
Do remove plastic rings and metal tops beforehand.
Make sure that the jars and bottles are clean; however, don't worry too much about the labels on bottles and jars as these will be removed in the recycling process.
Kerbside collection by your local authority - many councils now have a collection service for glass.
Take your glass to bottle banks at the same time as you go shopping - this saves your energy and fuel use in the car. The banks usually have separate sections for clear, green and brown glass; blue glass can go into the green section.
Do remove plastic rings and metal tops beforehand.
Make sure that the jars and bottles are clean; however, don't worry too much about the labels on bottles and jars as these will be removed in the recycling process.
