January Recycling Challenge - Glass

January Recycling Challenge:

Recycle More Glass!

If you are anything like us, you may have enjoyed more than a few bottles of wine or beer over Christmas and New Year, and sadly, the parties are over. But what happens to all of the empty glass bottles?

Making an effort to recycle glass is well worth it considering it’s one of the few materials that can be recycled over and over again without any loss of quality.

Glass: The ultimate sustainable product

Why is glass pretty much the perfect choice for packaging? Read on to find out...

• It doesn’t use too many precious resources: It’s made from cullet or low cost raw materials
• It’s pure and safe: It won’t contaminate products like plastic can
• It’s associated with quality products: This makes it very appealing to consumers and manufacturers
• It can be recycled time and time again: This makes it a sustainable product, and one of the few where no quality is lost when it is recycled.
• Glass is only glass: there’s no other ingredients or elements, that’s why it’s so easy to recycle
• Glass is widely recycled and reused: 55% of all glass produced in the UK is reused and sold in the UK
• Glass is a very versatile and high-performance material: It’s microwaveable and it can keep food fresh for longer because it forms a vacuum to protect products from heat and light for longer periods.
• Glass is part of our heritage: It’s been used as a container for many different products for thousands of years.
• It distinguishes adult beverages from drinks aimed at children: Wine, beer, and spirits are all packaged in glass bottles, while children’s drinks are usually in plastic bottles.
• Glass is the most sustainable form of packaging: It doesn’t contain any phthalates, Bisphenol A or hormone disruptors like plastics, it isn’t shipped abroad for recycling, it doesn’t pollute waterways, or waste natural resources, and it doesn’t give off harmful toxins on the rare occasions that it’s sent to landfill.