Now that we have covered the basics on recycling paper and recycling plastic in previous blog posts, we can draw our attention to another common waste product, glass. With nearly 30 million glass bottles and jars making their way to landfill each year, it is of utmost importance that glass is recycled and not sent to sites where it is unable to decompose.
Transforming Your Waste
Recycling your used glass will not only help you move one step closer to becoming a Green office, it will also create brand new eco-friendly office supplies. This means that you are disposing of your waste effectively, while also creating new products from used materials. Goodbye emissions, hello new materials.
Key Facts:
- Just one recycled glass bottle is able to save enough energy to power one computer system for over 20 minutes.
- Glass can be reused an unlimited amount of times as it is 100% recyclable.
- The UK alone has over 50,000 bottle banks to encourage people to recycle, each is able to hold 3,000 bottles.
- On average, each glass bottle manufactured contains up to 25% recycled glass.[1]
How is Glass Recycled?
When looking at these facts, it becomes apparent that glass is another material we should all try to dispose of correctly and recycle. In fact, the process of recycling glass is not as complicated as you may have first thought as there are just five main steps to creating fresh, reusable materials.
Step 1 – Throw It Away (In Your Recycling Bin, Of Course)
Step one is probably the most obvious, you throw your waste away, but you must ensure that it is being sent to the right place. Separate your glass from your other waste to ensure it is going to be reused and not sent to a landfill site where it will stay forever.
Step 2 – Collection
When your bin is full, arrange for it to be collected or if you have scheduled collection days make sure it is ready to be collected. Alternatively, you can take it to your local recycling centre yourself. Your used glass can then be recycled accordingly.
Step 3 – Sorting
Once the glass reaches the recycling plant, it will be separated into colours, e.g. transparent, blue, green or brown. It is then thoroughly cleaned to remove any impurities ready for the next stage.
Step 4 – Crushing and Melting
Now that the glass has been separated, sorted and cleaned, it is time to compound the material to transform it into a reusable substance. For glass, this stage differs compared to plastic as it is not cut into smaller pieces, instead, it is crushed and melted before being moulded into new products such as glass bottles, jars or tumblers.
Some of this new substance will be used for alternative products such as for brick manufacturing or decorative uses.
Step 5 – Distribution
Finally, we have distribution, the process whereby all new products are sent to suppliers or customers, ready to be used and sold.
How Can Global Office Supplies Help?
Although we do not currently offer a glass recycling service, Global Office Supplies do offer toner recycling, paper shredding and waste collection and recycling and sustainability services. All of these services are free of charge to help your company reach its emissions targets and become eco-friendly.
Get in touch to find out more
Global Office Supplies specialise in cutting down costs on the products that your office consumes on a daily basis. Our selection of award-winning services provides the green office solution you have been looking for all under one roof, saving time, money and the environment.
For more information, please contact Global Office Supplies on 0845 519 1556, email to sales@globalfriendly.co.uk or by filling out the contact form on our contact page.
Sources: [1] recyclingbins.co.uk
