To learn how to recycle glass containers in your area, contact your local government.
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U.S. citizens sent more than 11 million tons of glass to landfills and recycling centers in 2009 (see References 1, page 4). Glass is most often used for food and beverage containers, although aluminum and plastic manufacturers also compete for this market. Glass recycling offers many benefits to the consumer, the environment and the glass industry itself (see References 2).
Recycling Rates
Of the 11 million tons of glass discarded in 2009, only about a quarter of it went for recycling (see References 1, page 5). U.S. citizens tend to discard rather than recycle glass containers, more so than other recyclables (see References 1, page 3). However, glass recycling is on the rise, and consumers recycled four times as much glass in 2009 as they did in 1980 (see References 2).
Benefits
Unlike many other recyclables, glass can be recycled an unlimited number of times, and recycled glass goes into myriad products, including new glass containers. At the recycling center, processors crush glass into a material known as cullet, which manufacturers mix with sand, soda ash and limestone to form new glass. Cullet not only costs less than glass made from new materials but it also melts at a lower temperature. A lower melting point means that glass made from recycled materials requires less energy to produce than glass made from new materials, reducing energy expenditures, prolonging furnace life and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. As glass manufacturers spend less money, consumers benefit from lower prices on glass containers. (See References 2)
Uses
Because glass recycles indefinitely without losing its quality, 90 percent of recycled glass goes into making new glass containers. However, recycled glass finds many other uses. High-quality cullet can make abrasives, aggregate substitute, beads and decorative items, match tips, fiberglass, and flux used to solder metals together. Lower-quality cullet is used for roadbed aggregate, safety reflectors, insulation and decorative tile. (See References 2)
How to Recycle Glass
Municipalities vary in how they handle recycling for various items. Some have curbside collections, while others provide drop-off sites or even offer refunds for glass bottles returned to a recycling center (see References 3). Some municipalities require participants to sort glass by color; others sort the glass once it arrives at the recycling center. Colored glasses contain slightly different chemical compositions that affect the temperatures at which they melt. Different colors of glass may be incompatible chemically once melted down, resulting in an inferior product. The highest-quality cullet comes from glass of a single type and color. The small effort it takes to sort glass, if required, results in a higher-quality recycled product. (See References 2)
First published in 2000, Dawn Walls-Thumma has served as an editor for Bartleby and Antithesis Common literary magazines. Her work has been published academically and in creative journals. Walls-Thumma writes about education, gardening and sustainable living. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and writing from University of Maryland and is a graduate student in education at American Public University.
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