Why Recycling Glass

The recovery and recycling of glass bottles can be described as great. It not only saves resources and energy, but also realizes waste reduction, reduces the workload of the environmental sanitation department, and saves landfilling waste, which is the only way to build a "waste-free city".

1. Save Resources

Due to the advantages of strong barrier properties and high transparency, glass bottles are widely used as packaging containers for beer, beverages, condiments and cosmetics. Among packaging products, the production of glass bottles is one of the most energy-consuming products.

Even with the recycling method of glass bottles that consume more energy, each ton of glass packaging can save 800 kg of quartz sand, 130 kg of caustic soda, 130 kg of limestone, and 140 liters of heavy oil.

Although liquor bottles and medicine (medical) bottles are hardly recycled, these glass packages can be recycled into other useful materials, such as using glass fragments for building bricks.

2. Environmental Protection

Raw material stage: When producing glass, materials such as silica sand, soda ash, and dolomite need to be mined. This has all environmental impacts related to mining. Mining can lead to land degradation, dust pollution, and river pollution within the mining area.

Production stage: A large amount of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide are produced when glass is manufactured. These two gases are the most harmful to the earth's environment today, and the greenhouse effect induced is also the most difficult environmental problem today.

After use: If the glass bottle is not recycled, it can only be landfilled in the end. However, the chemical properties of glass bottles are very stable and difficult to decompose naturally. It takes at least 4,000 years to completely degrade in nature. Some glass bottles also contain heavy metals such as zinc and copper, which will pollute soil and groundwater.