Glass
Overview
Glass is defined as 'a hard, transparent material, used to make windows, bottles, and other objects'[1]. It is formed from a melt by cooling to rigidity without crystallization and is a usually transparent or translucent material consisting typically of a mixture of silicates'[2].
Glass is a resource that can be continuously recycled without a decline in quality. The four main constituents of glass are sand, soda ash, limestone and other additives for colour or special treatments, these materials are not in shortage but the quarrying required to obtain them is energy-intensive and has consequential environmental impacts[3].
In the UK, about 50% of glass waste arises from containers (bottles, jars, etc), this is a figure that has doubled in the last 5 years but is still behind many countries, for example, Switzerland and Finland recycle over 90% of their glass [3]. To be recycled, glass undergoes the following steps after it is collected from kerbside or bottle banks:
- crushing and contaminants removed (mechanised colour sorting is usually undertaken at this stage if required)
- mixing with the raw materials to colour and/or enhance properties as necessary
- melting in a furnace
- moulding or blowing into new bottles or jars[3].
Macro Tonnages
The most recent information published by DEFRA [4] [5]is summarized in the pie chart below, with 1,338,153 tonnes of glass waste generated in the UK in 2016 and is part of the broader tonnage summarized in UK Waste Tonnage:
Brown Glass
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.
Clear Glass
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.
Green Glass
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.
Mixed Glass
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.
References
- ↑ Cambridge Dictionary, 2019. GLASS | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Cambridge.org. [online] [Accessed 5 Dec. 2019].
- ↑ Marriam-Webster, 2019. Definition of GLASS. Merriam-webster.com. [online] [Accessed 5 Dec. 2019].
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Recyclenow, 2019. How are glass bottles recycled? | Recycle Now. Recyclenow.com. [online] [Accessed 5 Dec. 2019].
- ↑ Digest of Waste Resources 2018 reporting data from 2016
- ↑ UK Statistics on Waste 2019 updating some of the 2018 Digest with 2017 data