The Framers Forum

AJP - Is the recycling centre (glass) and the weekly recycling collection (board) domestic or non-domestic?

Why do you ask John?

I don't think any scrap picture glass actually gets recycled. All goes in landfill. I once enquired of the local powers that be if it was OK to shoot all my glass into the bottle-bank. The reply was slightly non-commital (surprise), but was told I better not.

flat glass (like window glass and picture frame glass) is not the same as bottle glass and shouldn't be put in bottle banks.

when flat glass is recycled its crushed up until its almost like sand and then used as aggregate.

Well that's more sense than I got out of the council.

why ask - we produce commercial waste and can be prosecuted for disposing in public recycling centers.

Seemed a good idea at the time.

metal dustbin.

I understand our glass gets crushed up and used in road-fill. but who can tell. I just comply with the law.
it has to go in a separate bin for collection anyway.
one for card and plastic. one for general waste and one for glass.

I'm not arguing, merely seeking to understand, how is float glass different to bottle glass?

Dave

Ever tried drinking a pint off a piece of 2mm float?

not all glass is the same....
Different types of glass have different ingredients and additives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass

You have some interesting drinking habits John.

So how do the different additives and ingredients affect the crushed up glass being used as aggregate?

Dave

I'm not arguing, merely seeking to understand, how is float glass different to bottle glass?

I heard that bottle glass is the majority of glass collected for recycling, other types melt at different temperatures. (man at Biffa said that, sounded plausible)

I can't guess how they go about sorting it, because when they empty our dumpster it goes in with the bottles anyway, so maybe they just allow for some contamination or perhaps it all gets ground up. (or should that be ground down?). using it for aggregate is recycling as well I guess.

I know that the window company down the road has a skip full taken away a couple of times a week, and its all the same company that takes it. sorting broken glass, sounds like a job from hell

For the larger bits of glass a regular galverised bin with a garden lid on it ( the sort for burning garden rubbish ) the hole is then ideal for putting a heavy pole in and giving it a real bashing without bits flying. Then tipped in the smaller boxes for centrado to dispose of. Easy and cheap!