Glass Recycling and Guide on How Glass Recycled

Recycling glass starts in your home. There is a reason why many local types of council provide different containers for green, brown, plain glass and even glass from broken windows.

The reason is that they are all made very differently and mixing them can create huge problems at the recycling center.

1. Collection

Many cities have collection spots. Trucks may also pick them up from your home, or you may be required to drop them off at a point in your town.

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In all cases, try to do what the authorities have suggested. So, be sure you know the various glass types that are collected from your home. Always wash and separate them into the required grades for collection.

2. Cleaning and Crushing

The glass is transported to the processing plant where contaminants such as metal caps and plastic sleeves are removed. Different grades are treated separately.

Clean glass is then crushed into small pieces called cullet. Cullet is in high demand from glass manufacturers. It melts at a lower temperature and it is cheaper than raw glass materials.

3. Ready for Use

The cullet is then transported to glass-making factories. Here, it is mixed with sand, soda ash and limestone. It is heated at very high temperature and melted into liquid glass. This liquid is then poured into moulds that give glass its shape. Glass is used for many things—depending on what grade they were recycled from. A few items made of recycled glass include fibre-glass, countertops, bottles and jars.