Be an Environmental Warrior When You Recycle Glass Bottles
Every month, Americans throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper. With so many reasons to recycle glass out there, it’s hard to imagine why more of us aren’t conscious about our waste.
If we don’t do something about the amount of waste we produce as a country, it’s only going to get worse in the next few generations.
Glass is one of the most recyclable products in the world. If more people made an effort to purchase products packaged in glass, such as getting their milk in a glass bottle instead of plastic jugs, we could save a lot of energy and pollution.
Not only that, but we could seriously cut down on our carbon footprint, boost the economy, and even create jobs! Products in glass containers tastes better, too.
In case we haven’t sold you yet, here are 7 fantastic reasons to recycle glass bottles, containers, and jars.
1. Recycling Glass Cuts Back on Pollution
Every 6 tons of glass that gets recycled can prevent 1 ton of carbon dioxide. This might seem like a lot of glass, but when you think about how much we throw away regularly, it’s not that hard to achieve.
When a glass bottle is recycled to be made into new glass containers, it causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than if the containers were to use new materials.
The more glass we recycle, the less pollution we can cause. California has a really bad reputation and track record when it comes to pollution, so it’s about time we change that!
Over time, the more we reduce pollution, the more we can help to prevent the effects of climate change and help to preserve the environment.
2. Using Recycled Glass Can Help Conserve Energy
It takes less energy to produce items made from recycled glass than it does to produce new glass. When we reduce the amount of energy we use, we can preserve the emissions from burning certain fuels.
Don’t think that one person can’t make a difference, either.
If you recycle just one glass bottle, you can save enough energy to power an 11 watt light bulb for 20 hours. You could also save enough energy to power a television for 20 minutes!
With that significant impact, imagine how much we could save if everyone recycled even just one bottle!
3. We Can Help the Reduction of Waste in Landfills
The more glass you recycle, the less it will end up in landfills.
Glass takes about 4,000 years to decompose. Imagine there are thousands of bottles in a pile just waiting to break down. That’s a long time for them to sit and take up space.
It’s much more useful when glass gets recycled for new products. Instead of sitting around in a landfill, it can be used to make new, fresh items.
If half of the amount of glass products that are made used recycled glass, we could cut back on waste by 80%.
Landfills also waste energy and cause a lot of pollution. If we don’t let our glass recyclables end up there, we can cut back on this waste.
4. Protecting Habitats and Ecosystems is Vital
Making new glass requires the use of natural resources, which have to be taken from the earth.
The more glass we recycle, the more we can help reduce the amount of new glass manufacturers need to make. This means we don’t have to use as many natural resources.
When we rely less on cultivating natural resources, we help reduce damage to the environment. The natural ecosystems can be protected because people aren’t going in to take out as many resources.
In addition to helping the natural ecosystems, this can actually help to cut back on carbon emissions in those environments.
5. Glass Has an Endless Life Cycle
Glass bottles can be recycled endlessly because they are 100% recyclable. Every piece of the bottle can be reused.
The quality also stays the same, regardless of how many times the bottle is reused. You could use a glass bottle 100 times and it would still keep its value.
Another advantage of glass is that it can go from the recycling center to the store shelf in as little as 30 days.
6. Recycling Glass Creates Jobs
Recycling glass bottles creates new jobs.
The recycling industry itself provides employment for many Americans. In fact, the recycling industry provides more jobs than the waste and landfill industry.
In 2015, the U.S. recycling industry employed 1.25 million people, while the waste management industry employed 250,000 people.
If more people were to recycle everything they could, there could be expansions to local recycling programs across the country. That means more job opportunities.
7. There are Economic Benefits to Recycling Glass
Recycling is a $200 billion industry in America! That means that recycling is extremely important for the country’s economy. The more we recycle, the more we can help this number improve.
When manufacturing companies use recycled glass instead of raw materials, they can cut back on production costs. Since it takes less energy to repurpose recycled glass, this saves money.
It also saves money because they don’t have to pay as much for new resources.
For the consumer, this means that products won’t be as expensive because they didn’t cost as much to make.
There are economic benefits in it for you, too. In California, when you bring glass to a recycling facility, you get money back. This is the same for many other states as well.
Sign up For Home Milk Delivery and Start Recycling Your Glass
Drinking milk delivered in glass bottles is an excellent way to start recycling more. Plastic and paperboard milk containers aren’t as fully recyclable as glass, and they don’t have as much sustainability. When you drink milk in a glass bottle, you are contributing to an endless cycle of recycling. Every time you finish your milk, you send back the empty bottles and exchange them for new, full ones. Those bottles get reused for the future, and the recycling cycle can continue.
Use our database to find a local dairy near you and sign up for home milk delivery.