While washing the dishes, a glass slipped from your hands, broke on the floor, and you don’t know where to go with its remains? A green container seems like the obvious answer, but the issue of glass recycling is a bit more complicated. Only specific glass objects from which new glass will be made should go into it. So what to do with the “other” glass?

According to the guidelines, only packaging glass should be thrown into the green container. This includes:

  • bottles and glasses made of beverage and food glass,
  • bottles of alcoholic beverages,
  • glass packaging for cosmetics.

They require prior preparation. All foils, caps, caps and lids should be removed or separated before going into the green container. These should go in the yellow container for plastics and metals. There is no need to remove the stickers or wash the glass containers, just rinse them from the inside, because they will be cleaned anyway in the recycling process.

Above all, look for green containers. Then throw glass of different colors into them. For example, clear, brown, green or even blue. In addition, glass is one of the exceptional materials. Its endless recycling remains interesting.

Broken glass or plate? It should not go in the green bin

Not only bottles and glasses end up in our waste. It also happens with other easily breakable objects of daily use, which, however, should land in a different container. Glass should not be thrown into the glass container:

  • heat-resistant glass,
  • ceramics, e.g. pots, cups and plates,
  • faience and porcelain,
  • crystal glass
  • cups and glasses,
  • candles with wax,
  • light bulbs and fluorescent lamps and reflectors,
  • empty containers from medicines, oils, solvents,
  • thermometers and syringes,
  • television monitors and lamps,
  • window and reinforced glass,
  • car windows,
  • mirrors and stained glass windows.

What to do with them? Glasses, as well as heat-resistant dishes, ceramics (including plates, cups and bowls), candles, broken ceramic pots, broken thermoses with glass liners and glasses should be disposed of in mixed waste.

First, properly sort your glass waste. Take window glass, monitors, television lamps, thermometers, fluorescent lamps and light bulbs to the collection yard. Then find a place for car parts. Finally, take the windshields and headlights to the station that dismantles the vehicles.

Do you put broken glass or plates in a glass container? That’s a mistake!