GLASS RECYCLING FACTS

BY ANDY DARNLEY

It’s easier than ever for families to do their part to preserve the environment. Recycling is a popular way for kids and adults to help prevent certain environmental issues. One of the most commonly recycled items is glass. Glass is manufactured and used in countless ways by businesses and families: Glass and glass products are everywhere! A person only has to look around their home to see that glass is used to make many of the things that they need, use, and take for granted on a daily basis, from bottles to light bulbs and so much more. It can be hard to imagine that glass can be bad, but when it’s wasted, that causes a number of problems that ultimately affect the environment.

Glass products can easily be thrown out, but when that happens, more of it has to be made. Making glasses uses natural materials and energy. By recycling glass, families are helping to conserve these resources. When people throw glass away, it also ends up in landfills that are already overflowing with garbage. Recycling helps to prevent this waste of land from happening.

Fortunately, recycling glass is simple, and it’s encouraged and even required in many communities. People can recycle in provided bins or find facilities in or near their cities that will accept clean glass. Kids can often get their parents to recycle by helping them to understand why it is important and how it benefits the environment. It’s also important for families to understand what items can be recycled and how to recycle so they can do their part to protect the planet.

ENERGY SAVINGS FROM RECYCLING GLASS

• One recycled light bulb saves enough energy to light a room using a 100-watt bulb for up to four hours.
• The energy saved by recycling one glass bottle can provide power to a television for up to 20 minutes.
• Recycling one light bulb can save enough energy to run a computer for 30 minutes.
• Enough energy can be saved to power a computer for roughly 50 minutes when two bottles are recycled.
• By recycling 10 bottles a week, enough energy is saved to light a CFL bulb for 200 hours.
• Using crushed recycled glass to make new products saves energy because it melts at lower temperatures.

POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF GLASS RECYCLING

• Air pollution is reduced by as much as 20 percent courtesy of glass recycling.
• Recycling a bottle reduces water pollution by 50 percent.
• A glass bottle in a landfill will take roughly a million years to break down and decompose.
• One ton of recycled glass saves approximately a ton of resources, including 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone, 1,330 pounds of sand, and 151 pounds of feldspar.
• Recycling glass also reduces environmental problems such as acid rain and pollution.
• Recycling one ton of glass prevents the release of 7.5 pounds of air pollutants.
• By recycling one ton of glass, 2 cubic yards of landfill space are conserved.
• Every 10 pounds of recycled glass reduces carbon emissions by almost one pound.
• As much as 384 pounds of mining waste is created when new glass is made using raw materials.
• Mining waste is reduced by 80 percent when glass is recycled.

GENERAL RECYCLING FACTS

• Glass bottles and jars are 100 percent recyclable.
• Glass food and beverage containers can be recycled repeatedly without losing their quality.
• Thirteen million glass jars are recycled daily in the United States.
• Colored glass bottles and food jars are recyclable.
• The U.S. throws away enough glass to fill a skyscraper every month.
• It takes approximately 30 days for glass products to be recycled and put back on shelves as a new glass product for sale.
• In some recycled products, up to 95 percent of the raw materials are replaced by recycled glass.
• During the recycling process, clean glass is crushed to create a material called cullet.
• Approximately 27 percent of glass that’s used in the U.S. is recycled.
• Parents can teach their kids to recycle glass and other materials by using educational recycling games, lesson plans, experiments, and videos.
• Glass can be both reused and recycled.

RECYCLING LIGHT BULBS

• The glass from compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs, can be recycled.
• The EPA recommends recycling CFLs and all fluorescent bulbs.
• Some states require recycling of CFLs and mercury-containing bulbs.
• Some bulb manufacturers offer mail-back services to make it more convenient to recycle.