Another method to protect environment: Glass recycling
2008-08-13

                                                                                                       Another method to protect environment: Glass recycling Glass recycling is the process of turning waste glass into usable products. Depending on the end use, this commonly includes separating it into different colors.Glass normally comes in a number of colors. The major types are:

Flint glass (clear glass) Green glass Brown/amber glass Glass makes up a large component of household and industrial waste due to its weight and density. The glass component in municipal waste is usually made up of bottles, broken glassware, light bulbs and other items. Glass recycling uses less energy than manufacturing glass from sand, lime and soda. Every tonne of waste glass recycled into new items saves 315 kg of carbon dioxide. Glass that is crushed and ready to be remelted is called cullet. Here's a breakdown of how glass is recycled: 1. Color Separation: Colored glass containers have been created by adding a coloring agent that can't be removed, so green and brown glass can only be used to produce new green and brown glass, respectively. 2. Separation of Contaminants: Any glass that has been contaminated by color mixing or other contaminants can be used to insulate fiberglass or as an ingredient in concrete. 3. Cullet Creation: Cullet is crushed glass, and is created by melting down bottles and jars are a furnace. Any paper labels left on the glass will be burnt off, but metal lids are removed so they do not harm the furnace. Cullet melts at a lower temperature than raw ingredients used to make new glass, such as sand, so significant energy is saved in this process. 4. Reformation: Cullet serves as the main ingredient in new glass containers, often as high as 70 percent of the content. The melted cullet is molded into the desired shape of a bottle or jar, with the end product back on the shelves within 30 days of the original glass container being recycled.

Glass recycling

752,000 tons of glass is now recycled annually in the United Kingdom. Glass is an ideal material for recycling and where it is used for new glass container manufacture it is virtually infinitely recyclable. The use of recycled glass in new containers helps save energy. It helps in brick and ceramic manufacture, and it conserves raw materials, reduces energy consumption, and reduces the volume of waste sent to landfill. Secondary uses for recycled glass In the United Kingdom, the waste recycling industry cannot consume all of the recycled container glass that will become available over the coming years, mainly due to the color imbalance between that which is manufactured and that which is consumed. The UK imports much more green glass in the form of wine bottles than it uses, leading to a surplus amount for recycling. The resulting surplus of green glass from imported bottles may be exported to producing countries, or used locally in the growing diversity of secondary end uses for recycled glass. Cory Environmental are presently shipping glass cullet from the UK to Portugal.

Secondary markets for glass recycling may include: 1.  Glass in ceramic sanitary ware production 2. Glass as a flux agent in brick manufacture 3. Glass in astroturf and related applications (e.g. top dressing, root zone) material or golf bunker sand 4. Glass as water filtration media 5. Glass as an abrasive Mixed glass waste streams can also be recycled and converted into an aggregate. Mixed waste streams may be collected from materials recovery facilities or mechanical biological treatment systems. Some facilities can sort out mixed waste streams into different colors using electro-optical sorting units. Benefits of Glass Recycling Glass is a material recycled by many curbside collection programs, and it is also taken in at most municipal recycling centers. Here are some of the important reasons to recycle glass containers: 1. The typical glass container is made up of as much as 70 percent recycled glass 2. It is estimated that 80 percent of recycled glass as a whole will end up as new glass containers 3. Unlike other substances such as paper, glass can be recycled infinitely without any loss of purity or quality 4. To create new glass, substances such as sand must be heated to 2600 degrees Fahrenheit, which consumes energy and creates pollution from factories 5. Recycled glass first becomes cullet, or crushed glass, which uses 40 percent less energy than making glass from new products because it melts at a lower temperature than raw ingredients 6. A glass bottle can take up to one million years to break down, which is how long it will sit in a landfill and take up space if it is not recycled 7. Most glass bottles are eligible for a cash refund in 11 different U.S. states, meaning that recycling them can earn you some money 8. A recycled glass container can go from recycling bin to store shelf in as little as 30 days 9. Because glass is made from naturally-occurring materials like sand, it has a low rate of chemical interaction with the contents of the container, which makes it a safe packaging material to be used for generations 10. Recycled glass can be used in numerous areas, such as creating sports turf, manufacturing kitchen tiles and providing sand to depleted beaches