this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2025
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Glass used to be washed and reused. It's a lot more energy (and therefore greenhouse gases) to melt and reform into whatever.
Perhaps, but it's 100% reusable as far as I'm aware. It can also be used for other things, such as roads, or even to help plants grow.
Supply for high quality white sand used for almost all glass making will be exhausted in 2037, according to British Geologist Michael Welland.
There will be a point in the near future where recycling glass will be less expensive than sourcing high quality sand.
This is how it works in Germany. Lots of their water bottles are made of glass, and end up with textured/worn rings along the bottle; The rings are from where it goes through the recycling machines to get prepped for the next use. The rings mean the bottle has been reused a lot, and has gone through the machines enough to get slightly worn.