Recycling Series: Glass!
by Jac
Continuing our series on recycling, we are talking about glass this week! Glass is almost infinitely recyclable. Plus making items from recycled glass saves energy and raw materials, which is pretty awesome. However U.S. glass recycling rates are low compared to other countries. Find out why and how you can be a recycler that kicks some...glass!
Together we can learn, do, and participate in everyday environmental actions that make our community more healthy, more beautiful, and more environmentally friendly for all
Compared to plastic and paper, we don't throw out that much glass. But even though brown, green, and clear glass are all 100% recyclable, only about 30% of glass we discard actually gets recycled.
This is a problem because glass can take up to 4000 years to decompose. Broken glass is a hazard and ends up too commonly at parks and beaches. And creating new glass is a highly energy intensive process that requires mining for silica, soda ash, and limestone - all limited resources. So why is it so hard to get glass recycled in the U.S.?
Glass gets broken
Most recycling programs in the United States are single stream - meaning we get to combine all of our stuff in one bin. That's much easier for us consumers. The problem is that this can contaminate recyclables, making them less valuable as an end product. Broken glass shards can contaminate other recyclables (like cardboard). Also broken glass itself, if the pieces are too small, will not be properly sorted by machines and end up on the floor of the materials recovery facility (or MRF, where all our recyclables go).
Glass is heavy
Many waste haulers are abandoning glass recycling because compared to paper and plastic, glass is very heavy. This requires additional travel time and fuel, not only between your home and the MRF, but also between the MRF and the eventual glass buyer. Glen Ellyn recycles glass, but not all communities do.
Not all glass is equal
Mirrors, cups, bakeware, lightbulbs, and more will end up in recycling bins. Just because something is made of glass does not make it recyclable! A baking dish is made of a different type of glass than a beer bottle. To increase recyclability rates, it's important to ONLY recycle "household items" like glass jars and bottles. When you do so, you can really make a difference in getting glass recycled!
Some states have bottle deposits, where you pay a 5 or 10 cent fee upon purchase of a bottle and get it back when you "redeem" your bottles (i.e., bring them back to get recycled). These states have a much higher rate of glass recycling compared to the rest of the U.S. Illinois does not presently have a bottle deposit bill. There is also a potential for a national bottle deposit bill as part of the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act introduced in the House and Senate in 2021. You can learn more about the national bill by visiting Beyond Plastics or more about bottle bills by visiting the Bottle Bill Resource Guide.
DO
Even though glass is easily recycled, we still want to REDUCE and REUSE glass as much as possible. So consider taking these steps to change up your glass use:
REDUCE the amount of glass you acquire. Order a drink on tap or in a can instead of a glass bottle!
REUSE glass that you do have. Glass jars make excellent food storage for cut veggies - simply fill with water and place in the fridge. You can also store fruit, make overnight oats, use as drinking glasses and more. Keep small jars to help organize bits and bobs at home. Pickle and peanut butter jars make excellent vases when sending flowers to a neighbor!
RECYCLE when recycling glass, take off the metal lids and recycle separately. Discard plastic ones. Remember to only recycle household items like drink bottles and food jars. Don't ever put broken glass in your recycling bin - it is a hazard to workers and can damage machinery. Throw it away. Don't try to recycle drink glasses, bake ware and ceramics - donate instead.
