War on waste: Can all glass really be recycled?

Inline image 1

Glass is commonly thought of as a product that can always be recycled.

But did you know there are a few glass items we shouldn't put in the recycle bin?


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-22/can-all-glass-really-be-recycled-war-on-waste/8541048

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 comments

 

Craig Mynott from O-I Asia Pacific, a glass recycling plant in Brisbane, said some glass needed to be excluded because it contained products that could not be reused.

"Microwave turntables, ovenware, crystal glass, mirrors and light bulbs can't be recycled.

Did you know?Glass was discovered more than 5,000 years agoGlass takes one million years to break down naturallyRecycling a glass jar saves enough energy to light a bulb for four hoursCrushed glass produce is called 'cullet'

 

"We prefer if people don't put them in the recycling bin.

"We just want to see bottles and jars in there."

Mr Mynott said dirty jars could also be harder to recycle.

"Jars that have contained food products we like to be rinsed," he told ABC Radio Brisbane's Craig Zonca.

"If they're not rinsed they are still used, but it makes our job easier.

"We take in over 100,000 tonnes of what would previously have gone to landfill and turn about 60,000 tonnes of that back into glass."

How does the glass recycling process work?

Once glass is collected by kerbside pick-up it is taken to a sorting facility.

"It goes through a material recovery facility and then the glass goes to our recycling glass plant," Mr Mynott said.

"Then optical sorting technology is used to sort the glass into colours.

Glass recycling plant creating new bottles. Photo: Recycled glass can be used over and over, making it one of the world's most sustainable products. (Supplied: O-I Asia Pacific)

 

"We can sort down to glass that's eight millimetres in size and smaller stuff can be crushed down into a finer powder.

"The preference is though that we use glass that's a 45mm size to be recycled."

Once the glass is sorted and sized, it is sent to another facility in south Brisbane to be recreated.

"By doing this we reduce the energy needed as it's already been melted once and it also reduces carbon emissions," Mr Mynott said.

"For every one tonne of recycled glass we use in the process, it replaces 1.2 tonnes of the virgin material (sand, soda ash) that is used to make glass.

"It's extremely beneficial — and you could be drinking from a glass bottle this weekend that then in a week you could be drinking from the same glass bottle.

"Glass is 100 per cent recyclable and infinitely recyclable."


1 comments



To make a comment, please register or login

Preview your comment