Glass Recycling

Is glass recyclable?

Yes, glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without losing quality or purity - something few food and beverage packaging options can claim.

Is all glass recyclable?

No, not all glass types are recyclable. Some kinds of glass, like windows, ovenware, Pyrex, and other types of heat-resistant glass, crystal, light bulbs, (television and computer) screens, mirrors, etc., are manufactured differently. If such materials find their way into the glass container manufacturing process, they can result in production problems and defective containers.

Glass recycling is the processing of waste glass into usable products. The industry term for furnace-ready recycled glass is “cullet.” Glass cullet is classified in sizes that can range from pebbles to sand and even powder.

Common non-container uses

• Fiberglass manufacturing
• Abrasives
• Binder in ceramics and bricks
• Filler in paint and plastic
• Filtration media

How glass is recycled

• Collection - The consumer throws the glass into a recycle bin.
• Transport - Glass is taken from the container to a glass treatment plant.
• Sorting and washing - The glass is sorted by color and washed to remove impurities. The glass is also carefully inspected for contamination and hazardous materials.
•  Crushing and melting - The glass is then crushed and melted. Furnace-ready cullet must be free of contaminants such as metals, ceramics, gravel, stones, etc. The glass is then molded into new products such as bottles and jars. Or it may be used for alternative purposes such as brick manufacture or decorative uses.
• The glass is then sent back to the shops, ready to be used again.

How to recycle glass

There’s container glass and everything else when it comes to glass recycling. That’s because non-containers are treated with chemicals to make them more durable and resistant to heat, reducing the recycling market.

First of all, do your best to prevent the glass from breaking. Not only is broken glass dangerous for you, but it has little recycling value. If glass breaks, wrap it in a plastic bag before throwing it away so sanitation workers won’t get injured handling it. For windows and mirrors, you’ll need to find a construction and demolition (C&D) recycler to process the material.

Where can I recycle glass?

Many communities include glass bottle and container collection in curbside collection programs. Non-containers treated with chemicals should be left out of the recycling bin and need to be taken to a construction and demolition (C&D) recycler.

Where to recycle glass bottles?

You can either take your glass bottles and containers to residential curbside collection points or drop-off collection sites; these drop-off sites will transport the glass to glass recycling companies.