Glass

Did you know that glass contains sand, limestone and soda ash? None of these are renewable sources, which is why it’s important to recycle glass.

Like plastic, glass doesn’t biodegrade, so landfill space is constantly being lost to glass & plastic waste. Glass is used on household products like bottles & jars; remember to be careful when handling glass so you don’t get cut.

Glass can be reused as well as recycled; if the glass is strong enough then it could be used 20 times over. Many pubs use reused glass bottles, as it is cheaper, and helps the environment.

Making new glass uses up a lot of energy, through transporting the materials to the factory, melting all the materials in a furnace, then transporting the bottles and jars to be filled up ready to sell. Remember that glass can be separated into 4 categories; green, clear, blue and brown. Wash out the bottles first before recycling them! Curb side collection usually takes all coloured glass.

In the UK we recycle about 50% of bottles and jars. We are getting better, but still not as good as Switzerland, who recycles 90%.

• Facts about Glass
  
• Nearly 10% of all our household waste is glass
• On average we each use over 100 glass bottles and jars each year
• Only 27% of this glass gets recycled
• 4,000 tonnes of glass were recycled in Bristol alone last year
• One bottle bank can hold up to 3,000 bottles before it needs to be emptied.
• Once glass goes into the rubbish bin it is taken to a landfill, l where it will stay forever, as it
  cannot be broken down.
• Glass bottles can even be recycled into insulation for houses.