Glass Recycling

Basics

• This page aims to cover the Recycling of Glass
• This page largely covers “Grind and Use” Strategies, as well as Recycling to “Drop In” Replacement for New Glass
  • Creative Reuse is largely covered on that page
  • Crushed Recycled Glass as Aggregate (A Potential form of Downcycling ) is covered on that page

Methods

Sort, Shred, and Use

• This method relies HEAVILY on Sorting Equipment / A Controlled/Verified “Clean” Source of Glass
• That and/or Minimal Standards for Said Glass (Such as an Opaque Brown/Grey Color is Allowable vs Crystal Clear etc)
• Especially if integrated with a Deposit and Return System or with Pre-Consumer Recycling / Product End of Life Return Systems , it IS doable.
• Main downsides are lack of (easy) control, and potentially lower quality material
• Also more expensive than mining etc (Although from a sustainability standpoint this SHOULDN’T matter, especially if legislation backs up “doing the right thing” )

Thermal Processing

• Use of Flux in a Molten Glass mixture could POTENTIALLY “upgrade” it
• While potentially more complex, Float Zone Refining is HEAVILY used for Clarifying other materials such as Silicon Boules
  • A similar process but for Shredded+Sorted+Remelted and Cast into a Boule Glass May work as well

Internal Links

• Synthetic Perlite Alternative
  • A Synthetci Alternative to Perlite (which can be made from reprocessed Glass, although this is moreso Downcycling
    • Main use cases would be as a Soil Amendment (for Water Retention), or as a component in Firestarters such as Instafire