Let’s take a harder look at glass. Or even better, let’s look through glass. What do you see? Technically speaking, glass is not a true solid, it’s actually a “super-cooled fluid”. However, to the average joe, this doesn’t make a blind bit of difference, it only really matters to students of old windows who need to know that due to the slow flow of glass under the full of gravity makes an old window thicker at the bottom.

Glass is made from silica, soda ash and limestone. Both limestone and silica are products of quarrying whereas soda ash is created by the worldwide chemicals industry. All the materials are then melted together at extremely high temperates in order to form the glass that we use today. This method for creating glass is used for everything from creating glass fibres used in windows and car windscreens, all the way to bottles and jars you keep in your kitchen.

A huge amount of energy is used in the chain of processes leading to the production of glass items. So recycling glass which can be used to create vases has to be a positive thing, right?

Up to a point. The unfortunate fact is that the majority of products we buy that contain glass contain brand new glass. The biggest reason for this is that the majority of manufacturers insist on uniformity and the only feasible way to achieve this is by creating brand new glass

The best way to reduce common glass products, such as jars, is to clean them out and reuse them. Within the UK, this only happen on a major basis with milk bottles which some people get delivered to their door. Each of these bottles are generally reused around 12 times. The reason why reusing glass is so successful in this form is because alongside dropping off fresh milk the milk delivery system also involves picking up old bottles. The reasons why other bottles are never reused (at least in the UK) include the unwillingness of major retailers to handle the returns process, the logistical cost of returning imported bottles (think New Zealand wines), and the nervousness of marketers about the integrity of their brand images.

Most other bottles are ground down to a new raw material called cullet, which can be re-melted back to form more glass. But it isn’t. In fact, the glass that does end up being recycled ends up in aggregate mixtures which are used to make road surfaces. Practially all of the bottles that we do end up recycling and made from brand new glass. Your recycling efforts won’t change that. The reasons why glass is never re-used to make new glass is because firstly, it costs too much to transport due to the uncertain composition and lastly, glass manufacturers have precise requirements for glass.

Plate glass is an even worse problem. A huge amount of glass is used in replacement glass windows, typically in northern climes in sealed double-glazing units. Ever wondered where your old windows go? They go to landfill. It is just too difficult, in terms of time and money, to separate the glass from the other materials in the units.

It is in fact really rare to find consumer products made from recycled glass. The ones that are selling recycled glass products should be envouraged to do so as they are leading the way and proving that this can be done. So here’s a link to a UK supplier that sells many recycled glass products, including glass tableware such as plates, bowls and wine glasses, as well as colourful recycled glass bathroom accessories such as soap dispensers.

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