How to Recycle Glass Products
Whether you need to get rid of an old light bulb or the jar your spaghetti sauce came in last night, when recycling glass there’s a couple of things to keep in mind. It may seem simple enough – just toss it in the blue bin. But it’s a bit more complicated than that. It’s important to understand that there are two different types of glass. There are treated glass and non-treated glass. Most glass containers are non-treated, but others are treated with a variety of chemicals to make them more durable.
Recycling Treated Glass – Lighbulbs and More
Since treated glass is designed to make a stronger, longer lasting glass, it’s easy to imagine the types of products that might contain it. Some of the most commonly treated glass items include light bulbs, windows, and mirrors. Treated glass is often harder to recycle. Because of the chemicals mixed in, the glasses have different melting points. If you were to try to melt treated glass with non-treated glass, the treated glass wouldn’t melt and it would end up ruining the entire load. That’s why things like light bulbs are so tricky to recycle.
Also, don’t forget that a compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) is much more important to recycle than an LED bulb. That’s because CFL bulbs can release a variety of chemicals into the environment if they aren’t disposed of properly. And while it is nice to recycle LED bulbs, it actually costs a lot more than the material in them is worth to recycle them. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
When recycling glass, be careful not to break the glass. It’s not only dangerous for you but also for the sanitation workers who deal with it later on. In most cases, broken glass has very little recycling value. It can be hard to deal with glass because of the danger of it breaking in transport.
Luckily, our friendly and professional staff here at 1-888-PIK-ITUP know the ins and outs of recycling. When we come to pickup your junk, we’ll make sure all your glass products make it to proper place. After all, it’s our job to make the world junk-free!
Non-Treated Glass – Bottles and Jars
We get new glass products just about every time we go to the grocery store. After all, there are just so many products come in glass containers. Sodas, juices, wine, beer, sauces – list goes on and on.
The good news is that glass bottles are super easy to recycle. In fact, they can go from the recycling bin to being back on the shelf within 30 days! They can also be recycled over and over, and won’t degrade over time like so many other recyclable products do.
While glass containers have dropped in weight in recent years, they are still one of the heaviest packaging items in landfills. So making sure they make it to a recycling facility is important. Just make sure the glass doesn’t get broken. If it is, it can’t be recycled because it becomes a safety hazard. However, you can leave the label on and sometimes even the caps when recycling your containers!
Just be sure that you are separating your treated glassware from your untreated glass containers. After all, they have to go through different processes when being recycled.
At 1-888-PIK-ITUP, we understand that recycling glass can be a hassle, especially if you don’t have a local recycling center near you. When you work with us, we’ll make sure your treated and untreated glass are separated and make it to the right place, so you don’t have to worry. Call or schedule an appointment with us today and see why we’re the best in the business!
