GLASS JARS
What is glass used for?
Glass was discovered over 500 years ago and has been used ever since.
- Windows, mirrors, jewelery, containers, marbles, jars, eyeglasses, televison screens, picture glass, ornaments, ...
- Today glass is used to make all sorts of glass bottles and jars for packaging food and drinks.
Save Glass jars!
Don't throw them away!
How is Glass Made?
- New glass is made from melted sand and other raw materials (soda ash and limestone). These are dug out of the ground.
- Glass bottles are up to 30% lighter today than ten years ago. This saves energy and raw materials.
- Rule: If you can see your hand through it, it can be recycled.
- It takes less energy to melt recycled glass than melt new raw materials. So recycling saves both natural resources and energy. (Recycling glass saves 74% of the energy it takes to make glass from raw materials).
Glass Recycling
The recycling depot collets old, clear glass jars. These glass jars can be made into useful things.
Glass collection bin at the recycling depot.
What to Do:
The recycling depot only collects clear glass containers!
- Rinse the jars so they won't smell. (Even broken glass jars can be recycled. Just be careful not to cut yourself!)
- Remove the lids. (Most lids can be put in the tin collection bin!)
- Then put the glass jars into the glass, recycling bin at thee recycling depot.
What comes next?
- Glass is collected.
- Glass is transported a processing plant.
- Glass is crushed into small pieces called cullet.
- Glass is transported to a glass factory.
- At the factory, cullet is mixed with other materials used to amke glass (snad, limestone, soda ash) and melted in a large furnace. (1200 degrees Celsius)
- Molten glass is molded into new bottles and jars.
What happens to the crushed glass?
The crushed glass has many uses:
- New jars
- It is used in paint for highways. The pieces of glass are very tiny and reflect light so that you can see the painted lines on the road more easily at night.
- Some of the glass is used to make fiberglass insulation that is used in homes to help keep them cold in summer and warmer in winter.
- Some of the glass is used to make stucco for houses.
Do you have nay old clear glass jars that you can give to the recycling depot?Remember, if you put glass jars into the garbage can, they will be taken to the landfill.
