Recycling Directory
Recycling At Home – Glass
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.
In the UK, we throw away 3/4 million tonnes of textiles a year. At present it is estimated that 6% (by weight) of the domestic waste stream consists of textiles. The recycling of textile materials in the production of woollen fabric can mean an energy saving of up to 50%.
Of all collected textiles 38% is used as second hand clothing, 21% is made into cloths for wiping, 19% is used as stuffing, 12% has its fibres reclaimed and made into something new, 6% gets thrown away and 4% is used again as second hand shoes.
Recycling At Home – 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 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.
Recycling At Home – Glass:
What Glass Can I recycle?
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.
Recycling At Home – Glass:
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.
