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Glass beverage bottles are unpopular in the US too, but at least in places I've lived the recyclers don't want glass anymore. I think the only commercial glass
by wakawaka28 2y ago
Glass beverage bottles are unpopular in the US too, but at least in places I've lived the recyclers don't want glass anymore. I think the only commercial glass recycling that is energy-efficient (that is, competitive with using plastic) is bottle washing. If you buy beer, wine, or anything else in glass here, which is not exactly rare, you usually have to just throw the bottles away.
I would be interested to know if your country subsidizes the glass recycling or if it is legally mandated. I'm also curious about relevant regulations in the US too. It might be the case that we require a level of sterilization for bottles that is more strict than other countries, that makes it uneconomical to recycle. There are so many possible factors. Recycling is a very low-profit industry and it is often operated at a loss. In some cases the recyclers throw away almost everything, keeping only certain easily separable stuff like aluminum cans and clean cardboard.
- DoingIsLearning 2y agoAs far as I understand, if you return glass into a recycling centre or to waste management anywhere here it will always be for cullet glass. Bottle washing here only happens if you return the bottles at a supermarket or other retailers, who then return it (unbroken) to the original manufacturer.
- wakawaka28 2y agoI haven't tried turning it in at a recycling center. That seems more likely to work. I was talking about roadside and public recycling bins, which don't seem to welcome glass anymore.