New glass is made with sand, which is very energy-intensive. So it’s good to buy items made from recycled glass, to help reduce the use of fossil fuels.
All towns have bottle banks to recycle glass, but many are full to overflowing, and often you have to drive to reach them (a few councils let you recycle glass at kerbside). One idea is to choose choose plant drink in returnable glass bottles.
What Kind of Glass Can You Recycle?
You don’t have to remove lids and labels to recycle glass bottles (the machines take care of that). Blue bottles can go in green glass banks. But do rinse the bottles and remove corks from wine bottles (too packed to compost – they are choking hazards to take them to the off license (or send in bulk to Recorked).
You can also recycle other items in bottle banks – baby food and jam jars (wash them or recycling workers will get sticky fingers!) You can also recycle empty scent bottles (half-full ones go to toxic waste). Things you can’t put in bottles banks are vases or glass cookware. Nor lightbulbs (old ones are binned, recycle LED bulbs at the tip).
What if Your Glass Bottle Bank is Full?
Don’t leave empty bottles nearby, as they could smash and harm wildlife. You can usually call a number on the bottle bank to inform it’s full, or report full bottle banks as eyesores at Fix My Street (reports are sent to councils, take photos to post, if wished).
If litter is on public land, councils have legal responsibility to remove it (no matter who dropped it). For litter on private land, councils can serve a Litter Abatement Order (and fine landowners that don’t comply).
Cleanup UK wants highways agencies to change their policy. Presently, many mow grass verges BEFORE picking up glass and other litter. So therefore shards of glass go everywhere.
Why Are Bottle Bins Overflowing?
Council bottle banks should be emptied at least every fortnight. Councils now encourage residents to use kerbside recyling, some are buying ‘advanced bottle banks’ that compact waste (but these often don’t work for glass).
The best idea is to bring forward the cash-for-bottle deposit scheme (delayed until 2027 due to Wales wanting to include glass, but Westminster and the drinks industry opposed). So unlike Germany, Norway and Finland (which has been doing this since 1969), we are halted.
They work like this. You pay a small deposit when buying a drink, then return empty bottles to machines to receive your deposit back. France gets 30 cents for each bottle, and in Gland, Finns return hundreds of glass/plastic bottles and cans each year, earning a tidy sum (around £40 yearly) to pay for all their coffee (they drink four cups daily, the most in the world!) A similar scheme operates in The Netherlands.
How a Kansas Brewer is Saving Glass
In Kansas (USA), one brewer solved the headache of beer bottle litter by founding Ripple Glass, a state-of-the-art processing plant where people drop off glass bottles, or have them collected. It’s made into fibreglass to insulate people’s homes. The rest is turned into new beer bottles, which saves him money. These purple bins are now in 100 communities across the US. The bins also take glass candles (with leftover wax) and window panes.
Stylish Earrings (made from waste glass)
These stylish earrings are made from ‘beads’ that are actually made from recycling waste glass, combined with a little brass. Made fairly in India, the company is based in Peckham (Only Fools and Horses country!)
Inspired by the rich colours of Egyptian jewellery, the bead has a lovely frosted effect, making each piece unique. Inclues hypoallergenic and nickel-free brass hook fastenings for pierced ears (returns not accepted, for hygiene reasons).
Choosing recycled metals is good, as there is enough silver and gold already mined on earth, to last for eternity. Mining for new metals usually involves using dynamite, and can harm local wildlife and the health of workers.
Chunky Tumblers (made from recycled glass)
It’s always good to buy local, but also good to support innovative artisans, who are helping the planet abroad. This company Milagros sells chunky tumblers made from recycled glass, which are sold both online and at markets in London and Bristol.
Recycling two glass bottles saves the same as boiling 5 cups of water, to help prevent the 2.4 tonnes of glass that ends up in landfills each year.
The company also has two retail shops in London and Bristol. The colourful range is hand-blown in Mexico at a family-run workshop, often using discarded Pepsi cola bottles.
The bottles and shards are melted down, then shaped by hand, using techniques that date back thousands of years. The trace of the maker is captured as the glass solidifies, making each glass unique.
Stunning Recycled Glass Vases & Tableware
The Recycled Glass Co offers beautiful and unique vases and other tableware, made from the vast amount of recycled glass that is littering our planet.
Know houseplants and flowers (including lilies and sago palm) to avoid near pets. Avoid facing indoor foliage to gardens, to stop birds flying into windows.
The range includes sets of tumblers and matching vases, all in beautiful colours.
Although glass is kind of okay to make, it does use a lot of sand, and it’s far better to use recycled, as it takes an enormous amount of energy to make and ship. That’s why it’s good to always recycle used glass in bottle banks.
Blue bottles can go in green glass banks, you don’t need to remove labels just rinse and give corks to off licenses or send to Recorked. You can also use bottle banks to recycle jars (baby food, jam etc) and empty perfume bottles (half-full goes to toxic waste).
If you use the candle holders, always follow safety tips.
Keep away from flammables, don’t burn near pets (esp. scented candles), never leave unattended, and use a candle snuffer (don’t blow them out).
Follow candle safety tips. Before lighting, trim wick to 1/4 inch and keep free from trimmings and matches, and don’t burn for more than a few hours). Place candles on a stable heat-resistant surface.
