Glass

Recycling one ton of glass:

Saves 42 kWh of energy
Saves 0.12 barrels (5 gallons) of oil
Saves 714.286 Btu's of energy
Saves 2 cubic yards of landfill space
Saves 7.5 pounds of air pollutants from being released

Glass Recycling Tips

• Prepare glass containers for recycling by rinsing out with water.
• Labels on glass containers do not have to be removed because they are removed during the crushing process and/or burned off during the melting process.
• Avoid breaking the glass and mixing broken colors together as this may make the glass unacceptable for recycling.
• Waste Management-Recycle America offers a service known as Container Recycling Alliance (CRA) which is a national recycling organization for recovering glass containers, including clear, brown and green bottles and jars. The CRA features state-of-the-art fully automated ceramic detection and color sorting equipment, as well as full bottle destruction and decasing capabilities.

Did You Know?

• Recycling glass saves 30% of the energy required when producing glass from raw materials (soda, ash, sand and limestone). Crushed glass, called cullet, melts at a lower temperature than the raw materials, which saves energy.
• The United States throws away enough glass bottles and jars to fill a 1,350 square foot building every week.
• Refillable glass bottles use 19,000 Btu's of energy as compared to 58,000 Btu's used by throwaway glass bottles.