Glass Waste Facts and Statistics

Most glass waste is simply a type of used product – such as an empty jam jar after spreading it all over your toast. The other main kind of waste glass is broken items like a cracked car windscreen or a dropped vase. Recycling is possible for most types of glass and some common examples are:

• Bottles – used and empty glass bottles for beer and wine, olive oil, sauces, and any other liquids
• Jars – any type of glass jar that’s no longer needed like those for condiments, jam, cosmetics, and glass candle jars
• Glassware – broken or unneeded drinking glasses, jugs, containers, and vases
• Window panes – broken or removed windowpanes from buildings or vehicles
• Furniture – old and broken glass coffee tables, tabletops, lamps, or other furniture
• Manufacturing – trimmed and offcuts of glass from the manufacturing process

Get a sense of how much glass we use and waste we produce as individuals and businesses with these important glass facts and stats. They help drive home how reducing glass usage and wastage even a little bit can help make a big difference. Here are some crystal-clear glass waste facts:

• About 130 million tonnes of glass are produced around the world every year
• Around five million tonnes of glass are used in the UK annually
• In the UK we recycle around 76.5% of all used glass
• Recycling one tonne of glass saves around 385,000 tons of CO2 emissions
• The glass industry recycles around 27 million metric tons worldwide each year
• If a glass bottle ends up in landfill it could take up to one million years to degrade
• 1,350 glassworks with more than 2,500 glass furnaces operate today
• The biggest glass furnace produces more than a million glass bottles and jars daily
• The earliest examples of glass created by humans are from around 4,000 years ago by craftsmen in Mesopotamia

Recycling glass is best for the environment. Consider these facts and stats about glass recycling for a greater understanding of the benefits:

• Cullet is the name for recycled glass, and it requires a lower heating temperature than glass made from raw materials – which means 40% less energy is needed to make products from recycled glass
• Recycled glass cullet saves raw materials – one tonne of cullet saves 590kg of sand, 185kg of soda ash, and 172kg of limestone
• Every tonne of glass reused and recycled in the manufacturing process saves around 315kg of carbon dioxide

Lots of glass products are thrown away by homes across the UK every day. Some local councils accept glass in household recycling bins while in other locations you must recycle glass bottles and jars at your nearest bottle bank. As an idea of how much glass homes use here are some domestic glass waste statistics:

• The average UK household uses 500 glass bottles and jars every year
• Around 1,500,000 tonnes of glass bottles are recycled from UK households annually
• Recycling one tonne of glass can make around 4,000 bottles and jars
• There are around 3,000 glass bottle banks across the UK and each one can hold up to 3,000 bottles and jars before it needs emptying
• Recycling glass is fast – an old bottle can go from your recycling bin to becoming a recycled glass bottle for sale in 30 days

It’s no surprise that pubs, bars, and restaurants create high volumes of glass waste. Drink bottles, jars of condiments, ingredients in the kitchen, and even glass candle jars on tables are the main reasons. Recycling is important to help the environment but also reduces waste collection costs for such businesses.

Here are a few facts about the glass waste pubs and bars produce:

• Bars, restaurants, and pubs send 200,000 tonnes of glass to landfill annually
• Packaging and glass recycling levels are around 73% for pubs in the UK
• Beer bottles are often brown as the amber tint reflects ultraviolet light that protects the beer from spoilage