 Bourne to Recycle Glass
In this edition of Bourne to Recycle news, we’re focusing
on glass. Glass is perfect for recycling – it can be recycled into new bottles and
jars again and again. And again!
The UK currently recycles around 50% of container glass
(like bottles and jars) and while this figure has doubled over the last five
years it still lags behind other countries. For example, both Switzerland and
Finland recycle more than 90% of their glass. (Source www.recyclenow.com)
Recycling glass in Eastbourne is easy. It is collected from your green recycling box as
part of your kerbside collection and there are bottle banks at bring sites
across the town. However, there is still more we can all do, such as
remembering to recycle clear food jars which are often forgotten.
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There is a myth that glass is not recycled, or
that it goes to landfill, which is not true. Domestic waste glass is easy to recycle - here's what happens:
- After collection it is taken to a glass treatment plant to be processed
- The glass is sorted by colour then washed to remove any impurities and crushed to tiny pieces to become cullet
- Contamination such as bottle tops is then mechanically removed
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The cullet is mixed
with raw materials to colour or enhance it
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It is then melted in
a furnace at around 1500 degrees centigrade and finally moulded or blown into
new bottles or jars.
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You can put any glass bottle or jar in your green recycling
box, including:
- Wine and beer bottles,
- food bottles such as ketchup or vinegar bottles, and
- jars that contained food such as jam, pasta sauce, coffee and mayonnaise.
What stays out?
- Pyrex – it is made from a different type of glass that requires different processing,
- light bulbs, and
- sheet glass such as mirrors and window panes.
You can take these items to the Eastbourne household waste recycling site at St Philip's Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN22 8NB.
Tips for recycling glass
- Empty and give it a quick rinse.
- Corks should be removed - natural corks can be home composted.
- Try to use bottle banks during the day - the sound of smashing bottles is noisy and can disturb people who live nearby.
- Remember to leave the area around the bottle bank tidy – take empty bags and boxes away and recycle them.
Did you know?
- Eastbourne Borough Council sends almost nothing to landfill (less than 3%) any refuse is taken to the Newhaven Energy Recover Facility where it is used as a fuel to generate electricity.
- Glass can be recycled endlessly without its clarity deteriorating.
- Recycled glass can be used to make glass wool insulation for homes, which also helps with energy efficiency.
- Glass cullet is also used in aggregate for road construction.
- New glass products can contain up to 90% recycled material.
How much energy is saved?
Making new glass from recycled glass uses less energy than using raw materials. Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power one of the following:
- A computer for 25 minutes
- A colour TV for 20 minutes
- A washing machine for 10 minutes.
 Have you signed up to Bourne to Recycle?
Our recycling
rewards scheme, Bourne to Recycle, is designed to encourage Eastbourne residents
to recycle more of their household items and give them the chance to win cash
prizes in a monthly draw.
As a thank you
for recycling and helping to increase our recycling rate, we would like to
reward residents and encourage other residents to participate. All registered
homes are entered into a monthly prize draw, with cash prizes of £100 each for
five lucky winners. Registering is easy and takes just a few seconds. Simply
fill in the online form or
call Customer First on 01323 410000 and one of the team will be happy to sign
you up.
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page for the latest recycling news, tips and information.
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