Recycling glass in the glazing industry

Glass is a fantastic material to recycle because unlike some other recycling processes such as paper, glass can be recycled and used in exactly the same types of applications over and over again without a loss of quality. While recycling is now common for household waste, it's not as common in factories and building sites in Australia compared to other developed countries.

Here is how to create a recycling program in your glass factory or building site.

Contact local recycling companies

The local recycling companies may have a scheme where they will provide you with a separate skip bin to store your glass, which they will organise to pick up. Building site end trim and factory trim and breakage is clean and relatively flat, so it packs down quite efficiently in a bin for the recyclers to pick up. You can set up an initial pickup frequency with the recyclers, and modify it as you start to see what portion of the glass ends up as waste.

Note that as window glass melts at a higher temperature than bottle glass, it does have to be recycled separately. The recyclers may charge a small fee for the pickup service but this can be offset against a local cost for general waste removal.

Communicate your changes to staff

While initially it's a bit more work for staff to separate glass waste from general waste, if the staff understand that the material will now be recycled and will reduce the companies waste removal costs as well as helping the environment, they are likely to help. Recycling can increase workplace morale and help staff feel more engaged with the company. Glaziers are experienced at handling offcuts of glass and this should not represent too much of a change from current operating procedures.

Communicate your changes to customers

If you have a great win by increasing your rate of recycling, be sure to let your customers know. People tend to think more highly of companies with better environmental records, and it gives you a chance to have a positive conversation with your clients that isn't sales oriented. It's a great way to keep yourself in the customers' minds when they are next contemplating a purchase. You may also be eligible to enter local council awards, or be able to get some positive publicity in the local community news.

As you can see, starting a glass-recycling program has many benefits for a glass merchant. If you are looking for a reputable glass merchant, contact a company like B.C.I. Glass.