GLASS AND CARDBOARD: WHAT’S RECYCLABLE AND WHAT ISN’T?

Okay, so what’s the deal with glass and cardboard recycling?

Some recycling facilities accept them, and some don’t. And even at the facilities that take these materials, there are usually strict qualifications that an item must meet to not end up in a landfill.

While it’s true that recycling centers seem to be pickier when it comes to glass and cardboard than they do with other materials, it’s for very good reasons.

Here is a breakdown of what’s really going on with glass and cardboard recycling:

Glass

First and foremost, glass is recyclable. In fact, it’s very recyclable! Glass is one of the few materials that can be recycled endlessly without losing any of its structural integrity.

The problem isn’t the recyclability of glass. The problem is the recycling process​ glass must go through. It’s cumbersome, and it’s expensive.

First, glass is highly breakable. And thanks to our single-stream recycling process here in the United States, all the tiny bits of broken glass are difficult to separate out from all the other materials at Material Recovery Centers (MRFs).

And if glass does manage to get separated successfully, it then must be sent to a cullet processor. Cullet is a fancy word for crushed up glass that gets mixed with other materials, like limestone and sand, to produce the molten glass that’s needed to manufacture new glass items (bottles, jars, etc.).

Only after the recycled glass is processed into cullet does it become useful to manufacturers. This extra step is, again, clunky and expensive.

So, where does that leave us consumers?​ Should we or should we not recycle glass?

The short answer is always check with your municipality first. That information should be listed on their website. If you can’t find out there, check with your local recycling hauler. They, too, should have that information readily available.

(For example, at Waste Connections, we provide all our localized recycling guidelines to consumers via our mobile app: WasteConnect.)

Cardboard

Unlike glass, cardboard is not endlessly recyclable. And for cardboard, that’s exactly where the issues lie. Most virgin cardboard can only be recycled between 5 and 7 times before its organic makeup begins to disintegrate altogether.

Consumer confusion around the recyclability of cardboard, though, seems to come from the many rules around how to recycle​ it.

To help you out, we’ve put together a list of these rules:

1. If you’re recycling a box, make sure it’s flattened​ and that all plastic or bubble wrap has been removed (no need to remove labels and tape though).
2. You actually can recycle pizza boxes, contrary to popular opinion. As long as you dump pizza remnants and plastic spacers in the trash, the box is good to go!

So, there you have it. Hopefully this helps answer some questions and clear up a little confusion.

If you have further questions regarding recycling these or any other materials, be sure to check our local websites​ for the most up-to-date information.

Happy recycling!