How are Glass Bottles Recycled?
Glass recycling is considered by many to be a sustainable activity, in which humans attempt to preserve biodiversity and the environment. Being completely recyclable, glass bottles are an important component of the three R’s in sustainability: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Glass can be crushed into a basic form called cullet, and mixed with other raw materials. These materials include silica sand, soda ash, and limestone. After the glass manufacturing process, glass containers are used to hold all kinds of food and beverages, and can be used over and over again. The glass recycling process has specific standards that start from the consumer side. Before curbside and other recycling programs send vehicles to take recyclable glass containers to the factory, homeowners are encouraged to sort appropriate containers into bins for pickup, which is the first step in the glass recycling process. A sorting process with restrictions rules out container glass that is considered to be tainted; that
