Glass recycling is relatively difficult at present however some recyclers have managed to find or continue a solution that supports kerbside, or even container deposit collections, through favourable resources, location, connections or contracts.
One interesting development that has impacts for households and Councils collecting glass as a recyclable at the kerbside is the use of glass in road and other construction, as opposed to being delivered for melting in a furnace for eventual reuse as a new glass container.
Glass products such as drinking glasses, windows, Pyrex and other ceramics cannot be included in recycled glass returned to bottle manufacturer furnaces because they change the viscosity of the molten glass, which has a major impact on the ability to use the molten material for moulding.
One tonne of recycled glass can be forced to landfill with a piece of non-recyclable glass the size of a small coin as noted by URM, global experts in glass recycling
Glass destined for road construction however is not melted and therefore non bottle and jar glass such as drinking glasses, Pyrex, ovenproof glass and ceramics and even window glass can be recycled, subject to safety considerations of course.
The Lismore City Council facility is a good example of a commitment to recycling glass into construction materials, and as a result, they have been able to commit to updating their advice to households and businesses to include a wider range of glass which can be recycled.
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