Glass, perhaps, comprises of one of the largest part of industrial and domestic waste materials. With food bottles, show pieces and broken glass wares and light bulbs etc., the magnitude of the waste can be scarcely imagined. Glass in itself is a non-toxic, inert material. It is not really hazardous when it is dumped but it does take up important landfill spaces. Glass can be easily recycled by mixing up the crushed used glass with raw materials like soda ash, silica and limestone. These materials are used in the glass manufacturing process.
The best thing about glass is that it is 100% recyclable. This ability of glass opens up an entirely new dimension of its uses. Glass in the form of a pickle bottle today can be converted to a ketchup bottle tomorrow. This ketchup bottle can be further converted to a soft drink bottle! There are no limitations, whatsoever, to the different uses of glass.
Process: The process of recycling glass is very simple. It all begins when the glass is dumped into the garbage can. The bin is then taken to a glass treatment plant and treated for impurities. The glass is also sorted by color. It is then melted, crushed and molded in a different shape altogether depending on the intended use. The glass can be converted for use brick manufacture or for decorative uses. After being given a definite shape, size and use, this glass is taken to wherever it has been designed for and re used again. The whole process can be repeated as many times as possible because glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled as many times as it can be done.
This property of glass makes it a very valuable raw material in the making of finished goods and products. This way, the pollution of the environment and cluttering up of land space can be diminished by a considerable extent. This pollution can be caused by the dumping of waste products.
