Recycling Glass and Why It's Important

Most towns and cities offer recycling programsash and lime and heated to extremely high
and many of us do indeed place our usedtemperatures wherein it is melted into a molten
products in separate bins so that they can bestate. This molten glass is then poured into molds
taken away and recycled, but what exactlyand cooled slowly to increase its strength. The
makes recycling common household items such asnew glass containers are then shipped out to be
mayonnaise jars so important?used by various companies where they are filled
Recycling, as we know, is the process of turningand returned to store shelves to be sold.
used products into new products and it is done toOn average, a typical glass bottle that has been
conserve on the consumption of energy andtossed into a recycling bin will go through this
space in landfills. Glass containers are 100 percententire cycle in as little as 30 days before being
recyclable and they can be recycled endlesslymade into a 'new' bottle. Not only can recycled
without losing any purity or quality.glass be used to make new glass containers, but
Every household contains many products made ofit also can be used to create sports turf and
glass, ranging from jars of all sizes and colors, tokitchen tiles as well as for providing sand for use
mirrors, drinking glasses and windows. The energyin construction and on depleted beaches.
saved by recycling just one glass jar is enoughFor every ton of glass that has been recycled,
energy to keep a 100 watt glass light bulb lit forone ton of raw materials is saved, including 1,200
an hour or a home computer running for 30pounds of sand, 400 pounds of soda ash and 360
minutes!pounds of limestone. As you can see, recycling
The process of recycling glass begins by glassglass containers and other products made of glass
being collected and taken to a processor where itis very beneficial and should be undertaken on a
is sorted by color, cleaned and then broken. Theregular basis by us all.
glass is then crushed and mixed with sand, soda