Glass is one of the largest components of household and industrial waste. It is used to package many food products and to create countless other items such as light bulbs, windows, mirrors, dishes, lenses and so much more. Glass container companies represent a $5.5 billion dollar industry, and there are over 49 U.S. glass manufacturing plants in over 23 states.

Over 41 billion glass containers are produced every year and 30% of glass containers in the supermarket are recyclable, but not even half of these containers are recycled by consumer. That’s why it’s so important to recycle glass.

What is glass recycling?

Glass recycling is the process of taking old glass products and turning them into new, reusable glass products. Recycling old glass uses 40% less energy than manufacturing it from new.

When glass is produced, soda ash, lime and sand are heated together and shaped into glass products. This creates huge fossil fuel emissions. But for every ton of glass we recycle we could save up to the equivalent of nine gallons of fuel oil that would otherwise be burned to create new glass products.

What types of glass products can be recycled?

Not all glass is manufactured through the same process, so that is why light bulbs, dishes and window glass can not be recycled. The main glass recyclable products are:

• Beverage containers
• Food jars

All glass comes in one of three different colors: clear, green and brown. Always sort your glass products by color. And look for the “G” logo on the product, which means that the product is made from recycled glass and can be recycled again.

What are the benefits of recycling glass?

Here are some benefits of glass recycling:

• Glass can be recycled over again and never lose its quality or quantity
• Creates 20% less air pollution
• Reduces water pollution by 50%
• Saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for hours
• It reduces that amount of landfill space that is used

Recycling glass is a safe and easy way to reuse glass products and to conserve energy. To learn more about glass recycling you can visit the Glass Packing Institute (GPI) website.