Why Can’t All Glass Be Recycled?

Why can’t all glass be recycled? 

Once you recycle your glass containers, they go through a long process.  After being collected, glass is sent to recycling facilities where it is first crushed and then re-melted into what is known as cullet 

There are two types of cullet: internal and external. Internal cullet comes from defective products right off the assembly line that failed quality control tests. External cullet is the waste glass that has been collected to be recycled. Generally, when we use the word cullet, we mean the external types of glass we can recycle. 

But to recycle glass, it has to be purified and cleaned of contamination. It is then re-melted in large furnaces. Any small contaminant, such as the heat-resistant treatment found in Pyrex items, can impact the process due to different melting temperatures and potentially ruin a whole batch of freshly recycled glass.  

That is also why, depending on your local community, you might be asked to separate the colours of the glass. Typically, glass products are clear, green or amber. To reach those colours, different substances and minerals are added in the initial production. So, when they are recycled, they need to be kept to the same colours to avoid contamination. 

Knowing the answer to the question “what glass can you recycle?” It might seem confusing at first, but these handy tips will help you figure out which types of glass you can and cannot recycle. 

TYPES OF GLASS YOU CAN RECYCLE 

Although it depends on where you live and what the local recycling policy is, most glass items in your day-to-day life are 100% recyclable.