How to Dispose of Glass
Take a look around. You’re probably surrounded by glass, from the mirrors and windows in your living room to the solar panels powering your home. This shows how glass has become a staple material in various aspects of our lives.
But what happens to glass when it breaks and turns into seemingly unusable pieces? Most often, it goes to landfills, occupying so much space and posing risks with its sharp edges.
The Glass Disposal and Recycling Problem
With all the liquor bottles, jars, and glass food containers we use, Australia consumes 1280 kilotonnes of glass packaging annually. That’s already a lot, even without including the glass parts in electronics, fibre optic cables, and other household items.
Although glass is known for its recyclability and capacity to go through endless cycles of melting and reshaping, over a quarter of the glass we consume still ends up in landfills. This is primarily because of contamination and Australia’s insufficient sorting technology. After all, glass products come in different forms and compositions and, therefore, cannot be recycled together.
If not all glass materials are readily recyclable, how should we dispose of them?
1. Throwing Glass in the Bin
When glass breaks, the simplest and fastest way to discard the shards is to throw them in the appropriate bin. But before collecting the glass pieces, wear enclosed shoes and gloves to protect yourself from cuts and other injuries associated with glass shards.
Once you’re ready, follow the steps below for safe and efficient glass collection and bin disposal:
- Start with the large glass pieces and gather them in one pile.
- Sweep the rest using a broom or brush and dustpan. Vacuum the remaining smaller pieces to ensure your space is completely free from broken glass.
- Wrap the collected glass pieces in an impenetrable cloth. Then, seal the cloth using a tape.
- Once sealed, hammer the pieces inside the cloth for safer and easier handling.
- Finally, place the cloth containing the glass in a box labelled with “broken glass”.
These safety measures aren’t just for you. They’re also necessary to keep our hardworking garbage collectors safe from injuries.
Remember, this method is just a quick remedy. Stay with us and explore more eco-friendly and sustainable glass disposal options.
2. Donate Glass
Would anyone want broken glass pieces?
Glass pieces from the bottles you dropped or your broken house windows aren’t the only glass wastes at home. Outdated eyeglasses also fall under this category. But fortunately, your old spectacles don’t have to end up in landfills. These can be donated to charities and optometry clinics, where they can be used to make new eyeglasses. Some organisations and clinics supporting this movement are:
- Lions Australia
- Specsavers
- Optometrists
With this glass disposal approach, you’re positively impacting the environment and helping those who cannot afford to correct their eyesight relish the world’s beauty once more.
3. Recycling Glass
As Australia aims to achieve a circular economy and reduce its generated waste by 10% per person by 2030, recycling programs have been implemented. These include ones for glass. After all, glass is 100% recyclable and retains its quality even after a series of recycling.
However, the country lacks efficient glass sorting and cleaning technology, making the recycling process difficult. Today, only 18 out of 193 facilities automate the sorting process. Most sort glass by hand. Glass pieces that are too contaminated or broken to be recycled end up in landfills. Consequently, Australia’s glass recovery rate plummeted to 46%.
That said, keeping your glass waste free from contamination, putting it in the right bins, and visiting your local council’s resource recovery centres can already make ripples of change.
4. NSW Return & Earn Program for Glass Bottles
What if you can earn while doing your bit for the environment?
New South Wales Return and Earn program has made it possible. All you have to do is collect 150 mL to 3 L containers like cans, glass bottles, and cartons and take them to return points across NSW. But to qualify, the containers must be:
- In good condition
- Empty
- Have intact 10c label
Every eligible container will earn you 10c, and you can get the money through cash vouchers and electronic payments. But you may also donate your earnings to causes like the RFS Benevolent Fund, Bangalow Koalas, and Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women's Shelter.
5. Crafting & Upcycling Glass
Glass is known for its strength, aesthetics, and sophistication, making it the ideal material for creative projects. Instead of purchasing new pieces, why not use waste glass?
Upcycling glass materials will not only divert glass from the waste stream, but it’ll also get your creative cogs and gears running. If you have no idea what to make yet, here are popular upcycling concepts for glass:
- Glass bottle bird feeder
- Upcycled glass lamp
- Garden tiles
- Container sand art
- Fire pit topping
Your imagination is the limit!
6. Rubbish Removal Services For Glass
Unfortunately, many of us live fast-paced lives with limited time to recycle at home or visit drop-off locations for glass donations. Fortunately, All Gone Rubbish Removals has experts in Sydney, Central Coast and Newcastle, all with the knowledge and skills to dispose of glass materials properly.
With us, you won’t have to risk your safety in preparing waste glass for recycling or final disposal. Our removalists can expertly assess and take all your rubbish, including glass, to their appropriate destinations. We also ensure our rubbish removal methods are eco-friendly, so as much as possible, we aim to recycle glass with our resource recovery partners.
For affordable and reliable same-day glass rubbish removal, contact us at 0480 047 806. We have the expertise and equipment to handle any type of waste, whether residential, commercial, or construction waste.