Glass should be reused if possible to reduce losses associated with recycling. In the United States, reusable bottles are found only in the wine and beer industry. Some beer companies bottle their product in reusable, heavier bottles. The companies then sell the reused bottles to bars and drinking establishments. Since the bottles never leave the site, they are easily picked up by the manufacturer when the next delivery is made. Wine bottles are also made from a thicker glass and some wineries will accept them for refilling. However, only designated refillable wine bottles should employ this practice. According to the Glass Packaging Institute, refilling non-refillable bottles is a controversial practice and not recommended by the industry due to safety concerns. On-base drinking establishments can contract with suppliers to deliver beer and wine in returnable bottles.

All food and beverage containers made from glass are recyclable, even if they have no deposit value. In many states, beverage containers have a deposit value and are often worth more whole than crushed, since it is possible to verify the state’s deposit value.

Recyclable glass is clear, brown, or green. The highest demand is for clear glass, followed by brown or amber. Green glass is generally undesirable, as there is typically an overabundant supply on the market. Broken, mixed-color glass has a low value, and may not be marketable. Long distances to markets may necessitate crushing the glass to lower transport costs. It can be broken into pieces, called “cullet,” with a glass crusher.

The primary market for recycled glass is in the manufacture of container glass. Competition for good-quality recycled glass bottles and jars (i.e., free of contaminants) that are separated by color is particularly intense. Recycled glass is sold to end users as cullet. The cullet is generally sold to glass benefaction facilities where it is cleaned and processed to meet the quality standards of glass container manufacturers.

Contamination of recyclable glass is a serious impediment to glass container recycling. Contaminants that are present in the glass stream include non-recyclable glass, ceramics, metal caps, lids, bottleneck rings, stones, and dirt. Standard separation equipment is available at beneficiary facilities to remove contaminants. A new European technology has just been developed that removes ceramic contaminates, however, it introduces another step in the recycling process. The current technology for removing non-ferrous metal (eddy current detectors) results in about 5% to 8% glass loss.

The glass container industry maintains a high demand for reasonably priced cullet of good quality. Some states require minimum percentages of cullet in new glass containers. Other uses for cullet include the manufacture of building materials such as glass tile and composite wall panels, concrete applications, construction aggregate, industrial mineral uses, insulation applications, paving applications in road construction, and re-melt applications to make colored windows and stained glass.

Window glass, Pyrex, and drinking glasses are of a different composition than bottle glass and are considered contaminants to the container glass industry. These non-recyclable glasses, along with non-marketable mixed color glass and green glass, can be pulverized and turned into a fine sand that can be used in construction and other applications. Crushed green glass has also been successfully used at NAS Whidbey Island in place of pea gravel to provide a bed for new culverts.

The compliance benefits listed here are only meant to be used as general guidelines and are not meant to be strictly interpreted. Actual compliance benefits will vary depending on the factors involved, e.g., the amount of workload involved.

Consult your local industrial health specialist, your local health and safety personnel, and the appropriate MSDS prior to implementing this technology.

• Reduces the volume of glass waste disposed in landfills by an average of 26.3% (U.S. EPA, 2000).
• Achieves cost savings from reduced landfill disposal fees.
• Generates revenue from sale of recyclable glass.
• Reduces the purchase of aggregate for construction.
• Returnable bar bottles can be less expensive than disposables.

• Extreme care must be taken to avoid glass contamination.
• Glass commodities markets fluctuate frequently.
• Training of waste generators will be required to ensure glass waste is properly separated.

Market prices for glass are currently $0 to $15/ton from local recycling centers, based on recent surveys in selected regions, with prices on the West Coast considerably higher ($10 to $50/ton). A higher market price could be obtained if good quality glass is consistently delivered or the glass is delivered directly to a glass processing facility.

Assumptions:

• Medium scale glass collection program: 1 ton/month
• Purchase of 40 curbside recycling containers: $15/container
• Purchase of one large collection bin: $500
• Labor for collection/separation of glass containers: 1 hr/week
• Landfill Fee: $25/ton
• Labor rate: $30/hr
• Transportation cost to recycle center: $50/month
• Transportation cost to landfill: $150/month
• Recycled glass market price: $15/ton

Economic Analysis Summary:

• Annual Savings for Glass Recycling: $120
  
• Capital Cost for Diversion Equipment/Process: $1,100
  
• Payback Period for Investment in Equipment/Process: < 10 years

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Product	NSN	Unit Size	Cost*	MSDS**	ENAC Product
Recyclable Container	8115-01-429-9984	15x10x5in.	Local Purchase
Recyclable Container	8115-01-430-5668	20x11x30in	$45.06

An Environmental Attribute Code (ENAC) identifies products that DLIS has coded as being Environmentally preferable over other similar products, based upon manufacturer, vendor, item manager, or source of supply assurances that their product meets the strict Environmentally Preferable criteria of a recognized Environmental certifying body or agency . For a presentation of DLA's effort to add environmental attributes to the Federal Logistics System consult the DLA Environmentally Preferable Products Program (EPP) Website.

Solid Waste Baler/Conveyors - P2 Equipment Program
Glass Recycling Crusher
Solid Waste Recycling Trailer
Solid Waste Sorting Line