Things you should know when recycling glass

Recycling is a very environment conscious act and we all should do our best to help in recycling efforts in our community. There are many kinds of materials that can be recycled. Aside from paper and plastic, glass can also be recycled. Recycling glass transforms discarded glass products to other functional products. With millions of glass bottles and jars being discarded all over the world, the fact that glass can be recycled is a great benefit for the planet.

If you want to help in environmental efforts and also contribute to glass recycling, here are some things you need to know so you’re better informed about the topic of glass recycling.

• There are different types of glass being used for many different purposes and it would be a good idea to be able to identify the different types of glass. For example, glass used for light bulbs, windows and dishes cannot be recycled. Glass that can be easily recycled include food jars and beverage bottles. Glass can come three different colors – clear, green and brown. Sort the glass you want to recycle based on their color. To further help you out, look for the ‘G’ logo on the bottle. The logo means that the glass came from recycled glass and can be recycled once again.

• Glass recycling has many benefits. Glass is one material that can be recycled over and over again and it will never lose its quality or its quality. For example, recycling glass that results in 500 pounds of glass will still get you 500 pounds if you manufacture the glass into bottles and then recycle it once again.

• Recycling glass has many environmental benefits and it’s not just limited to being able to reuse discarded materials that would otherwise be considered garbage. The process of glass recycling emits 20 percent less air pollution compared to other recycling efforts. It also produces less water pollution – up to 50 percent compared to others. Its power requirements are also significantly less. Of course, recycling glass means lesser materials to be dumped into a landfill, which has a great environmental impact.

• If you want to participate or become active in glass recycling efforts, call the Public Works agency in your country and find out what kind of glass is being recycled in the country’s facilities. Try to get the contact numbers of these recycling facilities and coordinate with them about your plans to participate in recycling efforts.

Image from ews-africa.net