Glass
Glass
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Glass  has been used for thousands of years. In the past it was very expensive and  only the richest people could afford glass for windows and jewellery. Today  glass is much less expensive and is used to make many different things, from  windows and light bulbs to milk bottles and glass jars.
Glass  is transparent, hard, is easily moulded into shapes and does not flavour food  or drink stored in it. This makes it ideal for making bottles and jars.
The  main raw material used to make glass is sand. To make clear glass, a special  sand called silica sand is used.
This  fine white sand is needed because it is very pure and does not contain other  unwanted chemicals. Glass production also needs limestone, soda ash and other  chemicals to colour the glass. The production of glass uses energy, both during  the extraction of the sand as well as during transportation and processing.  Large amounts of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are used during these stages,  which in turn produce the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.
The  main sources of the silica sand needed to make clear glass are in Australia and South East Asia in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia  and Vietnam.  Silica sand also comes from other countries including China, India  and Egypt.  Some sand is from Britain  and Ireland and most of the  glass factories in the U.K.  use this sand.
There are different types of glass  and each uses a slightly different mix of raw materials. The sand, limestone  and other ingredients are carefully weighted and melted together in a furnace  at around 1500º C (water boils at 100º C). The molten glass is then formed into  the final product, for example sheets for windows or shaped into bottles and  jars.
If you  have a recycling bin, you cannot put glass bottles and jars in it. This is  because the glass would smash in the lorries and get mixed with the other  materials.
People  who have Kerbie recycling boxes can use them to recycle their glass bottles and  jars. Glass can also be recycled in bottle banks at Recycling Centres and some  supermarket car parks. Make sure the bottles and jars are empty and give them a  rinse out. Your local Council will be able to tell you exactly where your  nearest bottle banks are.
When  using bottle banks, never mix up the different colours and remember that only  bottles and jars are collected. Window glass, glass cookware like 'Pyrex' and  other glass objects can’t be recycled because they are a different type of  glass to that used in bottles and jars.
glass can be recycled over and over again without losing  any quality.
the glass collected from amenity sites or kerbside boxes  is called 'cullet'. When it reaches the recycling factory it is checked for  purity and contaminants like paper and lids.
the glass is crushed, melted in a furnace and moulded or  mechanically blown into new bottles or jars.
In Northern Ireland  glass is recycled in County   Fermanagh. Glass is also  sent to Scotland  and other countries for recycling.
recycling glass greatly reduces the amount of raw  material needed and also the amount of energy used in the process. Reduced  energy use means less carbon dioxide is released into the air.
it reduces the amount of glass going to landfill, as well  as the amount of quarrying needed to get the raw materials.
recycling just three glass bottles saves one litre of oil  and recycling a single bottle saves enough energy to power a computer for 25  minutes.
glass is recycled in Northern   Ireland and Scotland which cuts down on the  pollution caused by transport.
recycled glass isn’t limited to new bottles and jars – it  can also be used to make other products including a new road surface material  called ‘glasphalt’ and ground into sand for use on golf courses.