More About Recycling

Glass is one of the most durable materials known to man for at least 5000 years -- it does not decompose if buried in landfills.
With a Moh hardness of 5.5 to 6, it rivals granite and never needs to be sealed.  It can take many forms depending on the manufacturing methods, and even emulate precious gem quality stone. Its naturally translucent but can also be opaque depending on the oxides and other ingredients used to color it.  For all this inherent beauty and versatility, glass deserves more respect than to be discarded after just one "lifetime"....

For now I will let the following highlights and related links to a few studies, reports, articles that have been done since curbside recycling began 20 years ago speak for me, as well as a couple of photos that show only the "tip of the ice-burg" when it comes to all the recycling issues out there.


Some Basic Facts about Glass Recycling

The figures sited below are from the container glass industry which melts the glass in 2600 to 2800 F degree furnaces that run 24/7.
However, the energy figures for fused recycled glass products made in energy efficient electric kilns is even less --
depending on the size and thickness of the glass.

• Recycled glass saves 50% energy vs. virgin glass (Center for Ecological Technology)
• Recycling of one glass container saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours (EPA)
• Recycled glass generates 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution (NASA)
• 1 ton of glass made from 50% recycled materials saves 250 lbs. of mining waste (EPA)
• Glass can be reused an infinite number of times; over 41 billion glass containers are made each year (EPA)

Over a ton of resources is saved for every ton of glass recycled — 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone, and 151 pounds of feldspar. Also a ton of glass produced from raw materials creates 384 pounds of mining waste.
Using 50% recycled glass cuts the waste by 75%.

http://earth911.org/energy/energy-costs-and-conservation-facts/

Recycling also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions that affect global climate. In 2005, the national recycling rate of 32 percent prevented the release of approximately 49 million metric tons of carbon into the air--roughly the amount emitted annually by 39 million cars, or 1400 trillion BTUs, saving energy equivalent to 11 billion gallons of gasoline

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/facts.htm

http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=lib&a=Curbside/description.asp

http://www.westword.com/2007-04-26/news/the-hunt-for-green/1

http://proteus.pca.state.mn.us/oea/lc/commingled.cfm

2005 US EPA Facts and Figures:

12.8 million Tons of container and bottle waste was generated in 2005 with an average recycling rate of about 25%.
(Which means that approximately 9.6 million Tons -- and more if you include the window, lamp glass and auto waste
which is not even counted --is collected by municipalities throughout the country, but not recovered for true recycling
into value added products)

http://www.epa.gov/msw/glass.htm

Non-Container Glass

Details on the composition of the non-container segment of glass in the solid waste stream are extremely sketchy, as no quantitative data exist to describe it. Noncontainer glass amounting to 1.2 million tons were discarded to the municipal solid waste stream in 1988, although this figure is probably underestimated.  Presumably, this figure includes disposal of broken windowpanes, windshields, glassware, and other durable glass products thrown away by residential consumers. Because of the diversity of non–container glass and the fact that no component of the total is very large, “materials flow” methodology does not capture the recovery and disposal trends of this glass very well. It is estimated that little of the non-container glass in the municipal solid waste stream is recovered. Non-container glass is recovered from commercial and industrial waste streams, but no comprehensive data exist on non-container recycling. 

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/pubs/mswchar05.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/resources/msw-2005.pdf


1960 to 2003 US EPA facts and figures:

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/pubs/03data.pdf


Milestones in Garbage

A historical timeline of municipal solid waste management:

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/timeline_alt.htm

 

Container Glass Recycling:

http://www.container-recycling.org/glassrate/glassrates.htm


A few United Kingdom and European studies:

http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/Glass.htm

http://www.assurre.eu/uploads/documents/pub-19_en-ad07ba16-5ada-4779-b61f-c8a979281ed6.pdf

http://www.bre.co.uk/glasstrials/pdf/WRAP_Glass_Collection_E-Newsletter.pdf


The photos below are of piles of recovered lamp glass AFTER the mercury has been removed according to EPA standards --
Just one local collection facility in Wisconsin was receiving approximately 400 tons per month (or 9.6 million pounds per year from one small local collection facility)

http://www.lamprecycling.com/articles/bulbrecycling/