On weekdays, you are not allowed to throw used glass into the bottle bank after 8 pm. This rule is widely known. But did you know that there are other pitfalls when disposing of used glass that you should avoid at all costs? For example, are broken drinking glasses allowed in the bottle bank and do the lids have to be removed from screw-top jars? And what color does blue glass belong to? Glass recycling is a good thing, but it can also be confusing. Here are the five most common mistakes when disposing of used glass.
This is how important used glass recycling is: 5 common mistakes
Used glass recycling makes an important contribution to environmental protection and sustainability. It is an easy step that everyone can take to conserve resources and protect the environment. However, you should avoid the following five mistakes at all costs:
1st mistake: Disposing of used glass with a lid
Screw caps, crown caps and other lids have no place in the bottle bank. They are themselves recyclable materials that can be recycled and therefore belong in the yellow bag.
It is true that modern systems can filter out most closures and then recycle them. However, this is not entirely loss-free and also increases the energy consumption of the system.
Depending on the location of the glass container, however, you may even be asked to dispose of your used glass with a lid. Some local authorities take this measure to prevent wasp infestations or to prevent lids from accumulating around the glass container.
2nd mistake: Disposing of drinking glasses
Not all glass is the same. To recycle used glass, it is melted down. For this to work properly, the collected glass must have the same melting point.
This is the case with old pickle jars, beer bottles or cosmetic jars. Not with normal drinking glasses, windows or light bulbs. This glass has a higher melting point.
Therefore, only used glass that was previously used as packaging for food, drinks or cosmetics should be disposed of in the glass container. Dispose of the rest in the residual waste.
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3rd mistake: Rinse used glass before disposing of it
Under no circumstances should you dispose of full jars and bottles. This would make a terrible mess in the bottle bank.
On the other hand, it is also not a good idea to rinse used glass before disposing of it. After all, recycling is about conserving resources. The used glass is cleaned in the recycling plant anyway. Rinsing it at home is a double waste of energy and water.
Tip: If you want to avoid mold, you can rinse your old glass with used water: for example, with leftover pasta or mop water.
4th mistake: Do not rinse honey jars
With honey from the supermarket, however, you should definitely rinse out the jar before disposing of it in the glass container. And do it thoroughly! The reason for this is American foulbrood, which can destroy entire bee colonies. In this article you can find out more about why honey jars should be rinsed out.
Tip: Rinse the honey jar with hot milk, so you have something tasty to drink right away!
5th mistake: Ignore the color
Old glass should be turned into new glass. To do this, it is important to separate the old glass by color. Therefore, make sure that only white glass is thrown in with the white glass and brown glass with the brown glass.
But what about used glass whose color cannot be clearly assigned? For example, blue glass? Blue waste glass or waste glass of indeterminate color belongs to green glass. This is because green glass is the least likely to show whether incorrect colors have been smuggled in.
If you dispose of your used glass correctly, you are making an important contribution to environmental protection. And now you also know which mistakes you should avoid in the future.
Sources: utopia, bvse
