Glass is one of the most durable materials and can be endlessly recycled without affecting the quality of the final products. Glass does not biodegrade even for thousands of years, but it is 100% recyclable. The glass manufacturing process it is a big consumer of energy, natural resources and generator of greenhouse gases. Each ton of recycled glass saves 1.2 tons of raw materials – sand, sodium carbonate, calcium oxide, which are extracted from the soil and melted together at very high temperatures. By recycling glass, energy is saved, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. The energy saved by recycling a single bottle is equivalent to the power of a 100 W light bulb, which illuminates for one hour. In addition, glass recycling reduces water and air pollution resulting from the industrial process.
Why recycle glass?: Apart from the benefits listed above, we want to mention the properties of glass as a material used in various industries and especially the food industry. Glass packaging is considered one of the most suitable for food storage, as it does not transfer substances in any way to the food it comes into contact with and could endanger health or change the composition of the food in an unacceptable way, causing a deterioration in the organoleptic characteristics. The benefits they bring us are considerable in that they protect us from many ailments, because they are inert materials. This means that it does not interact with food, not even with acidic ones (tomatoes, oranges, lemons, etc.) as happens in the case of aluminum foil, for example. Therefore, glass packaging is one of the most suitable for preserving our state of health (https://bit.ly/3x511eY).
As mentioned before, glass recycling can be done endlessly without affecting the quality of the final products, and the savings involved in this process are a benefit to a developing and energy-dependent country like the Republic of Moldova. Recycled glass shards are used both in the production of new glass goods and in the production of asphalt mixes.
What can be recycled: jars and bottles without lids, food containers, containers and other glass objects, glass of different colors, shards, broken glass, glass packaging from cosmetic products (emptied and cleaned), ampoules, etc.
How we collect glass waste: Glass containers must be rinsed, emptied of liquid and preferably – without a lid.
We do not collect here: containers with hazardous substance symbols, Pyrex glass oven container and trays, heat-resistant dishes, crystal, plates or other ceramic products, porcelain, terracotta, mirrors, broken glass, light bulbs, fluorescent bulbs, neon tubes.
