Glass Recycling

Glass and paper cannot be collected in the same receptacle due the contaminating effect of glass on paper. It can also create health and safety issues for you and the people involved in collecting and processing your recyclable waste. 

 

Please recycle your glass bottles and jars at your nearest bottle bank collection point.

 

Find your local bottlebanks at the below links

Clare

 

Log onto the Repak Recycling facility search here or call your local council for details.

 

Before putting glass into glass banks, empty and rinse the containers.

 

At the glass bank, separate clear, brown, green and blue glass and place them in the appropriate glass banks. The blue bottles should be placed into the green glass bank.

 

Never deposit window glass, light bulbs, Pyrex cooking dishes, ceramics (plates and cups) or glass crockery items in the glass banks.

 

To reduce your carbon footprint try to plan your trip to the glass bank along with other essential jobs such as shopping. You may find your nearest bottlebank is at your shopping centre.

 

Don’t leave cardboard boxes or plastic carrier bags that have been used to bring the glass to the glass banks, unless there is a bin for these materials on site.

 

 

One key aspect of glass recycling is colour separation. All bottles and jars should be sorted into the bank of the relevant colour (blue glass should go in the green bank).

 

Once glass has been made its colour cannot be changed.

 

From the point of view of combating global warming and reducing CO2 emissions, the best use for recycled glass is as a feed stock in the manufacture.

 

If recycled glass is used to make new bottles and jars, the energy needed in the furnace is greatly reduced. The aim of recycling is after all to reduce the environmental and social impact of waste.

 

 

Helping the environment 

Glass recycling helps the environment-

The energy needed to melt recycled glass is 30% less than that needed to melt raw materials used to make new containers.

 

Glass recycling reduces pollution and emissions-

Reduced energy consumption and more controllable raw materials reduces pollution and emissions improving the environment for everyone.

Emissions of CO2 the main gas associated with global warming are reduced by 56%.

 

Glass recycling conserves the landscape-

Using recycled glass saves hundreds of thousands of tonnes of primary raw materials each year. This saves resources, reduces the need for quarrying and conserves the countryside.

 

Glass recycling reduces landfill-

Every tonne of glass recycled extends the life of our increasingly scarce landfill sites and conserves the Irish countryside.

 

Glass recycling cuts waste disposal costs-

About 13% of the household waste generated is glass. Any increase in the amount of glass recycled means savings on these waste collection and disposal costs.

 

Glass recycling increases public awareness of recycling-

Every individual can play an active part in conservation by simply supporting glass recycling. This is a first step towards becoming an environmentally active consumer.

 

Glass Recycling Creates Employment-

Through the collection and processing of glass jobs are created and maintained in Ireland.

 

Interesting Links

http://www.friendsofglass.com/

 

Glass- Don't bin it- Bank it