Welcome to Glass Recycling Guide
Recycling Glass Bottles In California Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
The Interesting Process of Producing and Recycling Glass Bottles
from:The process of producing and recycling glass bottles starts with the consumer who purchases beverage bottles, or medicine in glass bottles. We have to rinse them out after use and sort them by color. Clear bottles are separated from colored ones, and each color is separated from each other. Once the glass bottles go out to the curb to be collected, the process of producing and recycling glass bottles begins for real.
Once the glass bottles get to the recycling center they are sorted. The glass is washed and sent to the crusher. Once the glass is crushed into small pieces it is called cullet. Any trash or debris is removed from the glass, and a big industrial magnet is passed over the glass to remove any iron filings, steel or any metal that has an iron base. Inspectors work with the recycled glass to help screen it. The cullet is fed into a machine that filters out any debris that has been overlooked. From there it goes to be melted.
The process of producing and recycling glass bottles is a continuing process. Glass can be recycled and melted over and over again without losing any of its properties. Even new glass being made from raw materials is made with cullet, because glass cullet has all the raw materials in the glass already without having to take from the environment.
The process of producing and recycling glass bottles in the formation of new glass is quite interesting. To make one glass bottle weighing 395 grams (about 13 ounces) it takes 2 liters of water, 53 grams of dolomite (a type of sedimentary rock), 23 grams of feldspar (mineral crystals found in the earth's crust), 73 grams of soda ash (sodium carbonate), 42 grams of limestone, and 248 grams of silica sand (sand made from quartz). It also takes 0.244 kWh of electricity, and 3.57 MJ (million joules) of natural gas. Now think of the energy and natural resources that would be used to manufacture millions of bottles each day from scratch without recycling. The process of producing and recycling glass bottles uses cullet in the production of glass to help sustain the environment.
To get an idea about the composition of the greenhouse gas that is released with glass production from scratch, there is not only carbon dioxide, but there is also lead, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other particulates. The process of producing and recycling glass bottles helps to lower the amount of greenhouse gas released into the air.
Recycling Glass Bottles In California News
Indianas Low Recycling Rates Upsets Manufacturers
Indiana's low recycling rates are putting the squeeze on makers of glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers, and companies say the higher manufacturing costs could deter others from moving to the state.
Read more...Is "Wine on Tap" a More Sustainable, Drinkable Alternative?
An innovation in wine drinking is emerging in California restaurants: wine on tap. Wine served from a keg is not a new concept; it has a long-standing history in Europe. But here in the United States, wine on tap has been brought to the market and failed — more than once; first in the 1970s, then twice again in the 1980s. This time, however, the concept is sticking; wine kegs are opening up a ...
Read more...Henderson Entrepreneur Recognized For Greenstone Building Product
Tourists, drink up. Scott McCombs needs your empty bottles. He has things to build. McCombs, founder of Henderson-based Realm of Design, recycles glass bottles into a building product called GreenStone, which he used in building his own 30,000-square-foot
Read more...Editorial: Don’t break glass
As Whole Earth approaches and the Northern Hemisphere tilts closer to the sun, The California Aggie would like to ask that members of the community refrain from breaking glass on the ground. You see, dear readers, we at The California Aggie spend such an incredible amount of time in Lower Freeborn – a windowless dungeon [...]
Read more...For artist Amanda Serrano, the sea glass is half full
Sculptures aim to ease viewers into contemplating controversial issues. Amanda Serrano, a sculptor who makes art from sea glass, bottles and magazines, found this Earth Day season surprisingly busy.
Read more...