Glass
Glass can be recycled forever. The same glass can be
recycled a million times over to produce bottles and jars of
the same high quality every time.
However minute amounts of some materials mixed in with the
glass can cause contamination. So it is important to know
what types of glass can and can’t be recycled.
Glass recycling
Glass can be recycled forever. The What is glass made of?
Did you know? same glass can be recycled a million
times over to produce bottles and jars In its original form, glass comes from
Glass was discovered more of the same high quality every time. three main virgin materials: sand,
than 5,000 years ago. silica and limestone. Most glass
However, to keep producing the best manufactured in Australia does not
Glass takes one million years end product the recycled materials use 100% raw materials. Instead, a
to break down naturally. must be a high quality. Minute percentage of recycled glass is
amounts of some materials mixed in utilised in the manufacturing process.
Recycling a glass jar saves with the glass for recycling can cause
enough energy to light a bulb contamination. Contamination of as
little as five grams per tonne How is glass made?
for four hours.
(equivalent to a 10 cent coin) can
At current rates of waste result in valuable glass going to All of the virgin or recycled materials
disposal, it is expected that landfill. are melted in a furnace at a heat of
NSW will reach its present about 1500 degrees Celsius. The
landfill capacity by 2007. 4 What can be recycled? ingredients are melted into a liquid, or
molten form that is then dropped into
Glass accounts for 12% of the Yes a mould. Air blowing into the mould
rubbish collected on Clean Up Clear, green or brown bottles - creates the shape of a bottle or jar.
Australia Day. including wine, beer, juice, soft Once cooled, the bottles and jars are
drink and sauce bottles ready to be filled.
In Switzerland, 91% of Glass jars - such as those from
manufactured glass is jams and spreads How does recycling glass
recovered for recycling. This is save energy?
currently the world's best glass No
recycling practice.1 Ceramic plates, cups and crockery The glass recycling process produces
- such as pyrex and corning ware a crushed glass product called 'cullet'.
Recent testing by the CSIRO China Cullet is often mixed with virgin glass
has shown that cullet (a Light globes materials to produce new end
recycled, crushed glass Mirrors or window glass products. 1
product) can now be used Medical or laboratory glass
successfully as a sand Broken drinking glasses Making new glass from recycled cullet
substitute in concrete. 6 saves energy because recycled glass
Check with your council for details on melts at a lower temperature than
In 1998, the recycling rate for glass recycling in your area. virgin raw materials. Because the
glass for Australia was 44%.5 materials do not need to be heated as
Remember, all glass for recycling much, less energy is required in the
should be rinsed and have lids manufacturing process.
removed. Leaving the label on is OK.
Benefits of Recycling
By making products from recycled materials instead of virgin
materials, we conserve land, reduce energy use and lessen the
need to drill for oil and dig for minerals.
What are the benefits of Minimising greenhouse gases
recycling?
When oil, gas and coal are used in
Recycling is the process by which the production process they emit
waste materials are diverted from the dangerous greenhouse gases. Every
waste stream. The products are sorted recycled item saves energy that
and used to produce new materials. would normally be used in mining, References
harvesting, manufacturing and
There are environmental, economic transporting. For example, making 1
VISY Recycling
and social advantages to recycling. glass from recycled material requires www.visyrecycling.com.au
These advantages include: only 40% of the energy necessary to
make glass from sand. 1 2
EcoRecycle, Victoria
Conserving valuable natural www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
resources and raw materials used in Landfills also generate toxic
industry. By making products from emissions such as carbon dioxide 3
Environmental Systems of
recycled materials instead of virgin and methane. These greenhouse America
materials, we conserve land and gases contribute to worldwide climate www.envirosystemsinc.com
reduce the need to drill for oil and dig change. Scientists predict that
for minerals. climate change will impact on all our 4
NSW Department of
lives, especially in the areas of Environment and Conservation
Generating civic pride and agriculture and human health. www.epa.nsw.gov.au
environmental awareness.
Saving landfill space 5
ACI Glass Packaging
Glass in particular, can be recycled www.acipackaging.com
an infinite number of times without Recyclable material makes up almost
loss any loss of quality. 80% of total household waste in 6
CSIRO Manufacturing and
Australia, so every item recycled is Infrastructure Technology
Preventing environmental pollution. one less to be buried in our rapidly www.cmit.csiro.au/innovation/200
In most cases, making products from filling landfills.1 What’s more - glass 2-04/glass.htm
recycled materials creates less air takes one million years to break
pollution and water pollution than down naturally. This means that
making products from virgin every piece of glass that has ever
materials. been sent to landfill is still sitting
there – taking up valuable space.
Saving energy reduces acid rain,
global warming and air pollution. Conserving natural resources
Making products from recycled
ingredients often uses much less Each glass bottle recycled keeps
energy than producing the same valuable non-renewable resources
product from raw materials. such as bauxite, iron-ore and sand in
the ground. 1
Saving landfill space. When the
materials that you recycle are used Because recycled glass takes less
to make new products, they don't go energy to manufacture than
into landfills, so landfill space is producing glass from virgin materials,
conserved. 3 finite natural resources such as oil
and coal are also conserved.