Glass recycling

Glass has established itself as an essential material in our lives. The composition of glass depends on what it is used for, but the majority of glass in circulation is of the soda-lime–silicate type. It is a material that is eminently recyclable, in the sense that it merely needs to be remelted and reformed to produce another glass article. However, glass must be color-sorted and processed to remove contaminants to ensure it is compatible with the product being manufactured. The key benefit of recycling via remelting is the reduced energy demand. However, because differences in color composition can arise between recovered glass and manufacturing output, alternative outlets are also often necessary. This chapter examines both the recycling of glass back into glass manufacture and these alternatives.