Glass‌ ‌Waste‌ ‌Recycling‌ ‌-‌ ‌What‌ ‌To‌ ‌Do‌ ‌with‌ ‌Non‌ ‌Recyclable‌ ‌

When it comes to what can and cannot be recycled, there are a lot of misconceptions. Here at Mansfield Waste we can help you better understand your glass waste, what can be recycled and not and what do we do with it. We are committed to providing you with the most cost-effective and efficient waste management as well as free bins, excellent customer service, and the ability to pick up your glass waste when a convenient time is convenient for you. Call us on 01623 240 310. 

Glass recycling is one of the most convenient and maybe ingenious methods of reusing glass to promote environmental sustainability. It’s also one of the most durable materials on the market, which we utilize frequently. With over thirty years of experience in the waste industry, we have collected hundreds of pounds of glass waste from all around Mansfield and the United Kingdom.

Managing Non Recyclable Glass Waste

Glass isn’t created equal, and it isn’t always recyclable. The most often recycled forms of glass are brown, green, and clear, however glass that has been tainted with food or dirt cannot be recycled. Heat-resistant glass, such as Pyrex and ovenware, as well as mirrors and crystal, are not recyclable. Broken shards of glass, multicolored ornamental glass, and glass containing metal, such as light bulbs, will also be discarded at the disposal site. So, if these products aren’t recyclable, what happens to them? 

Reusing or repurposing them is the logical choice. Even while some of your domestic glass can be recycled, you should first look for other applications for it. Glass, though being easily recyclable, can be difficult to handle, sift, and segregate by color. Glass recycling necessitates a high level of purity. A single contaminated jar or bottle cap can ruin a whole recycling batch. The recycling process becomes more expensive as a result of this. Finding new applications for unwanted glass at home could be a better option than recycling. In either case, reusing or recycling glass is better for the environment than dumping it in a landfill. Recycling uses less energy than making new glass items from the ground up.

Using Non Recyclable Glass Waste For Construction

Some construction companies have started to employ “glassphalt” in their work. Depending on the coarseness of the grain, glass is ground into smaller pieces and smoothed down to make a replacement for gravel or sand. In the United Kingdom, this glassphalt has been used to build roadbeds. Reusing glass in this way has a double financial benefit: it saves money by replacing gravel used in certain construction projects, which would otherwise wind up in a landfill at the expense of taxpayers. Glass gravel is just as safe for use on roadways as conventional granite, and studies have shown that it is more resistant to cold and high temperatures than standard granite.

To improve the performance of the construction industry’s sustainable development by using waste materials to make concrete, waste glass is one of the resources that may be used as a partial substitute for aggregate, reducing the amount of waste materials. The use of scrap glass in concrete mixtures may improve the qualities of the concrete, increasing its value. The use of waste materials in concrete is not only a partial solution to environmental and biological issues; it also has the potential to improve the microstructure and, as a result, the properties of concrete.

Reusing Non Recyclable Glass 

Glass is long-lasting, sturdy, and corrosion-resistant, so unlike plastic, it will not degrade over time. Furthermore, glass is the only packaging material that has been approved by the FDA as “generally regarded as safe.” Glass is harmless, manufactured of nontoxic basic ingredients (silica, sand, soda ash, limestone, and recycled glass), and has a chemical interaction rate of near zero. Glass jars, bottles, and other glass containers can all be reused or recycled. Glass containers, for example, can be reused for crafts, storage, or DIY projects, or as a vase, drinking glass, or planter. Just remember to sanitize the glass after each usage!

Even though glass is a very sustainable material and the industry is constantly improving, we still have a long way to go. Glass containers should always be reused or recycled at the end of their life cycle, regardless of how ecologically beneficial they are. We can all work together to make the future a healthier and safer place. Call us today on 01623 240 310.