Can You Put Broken Glass In Recycling Bin? 🥛

Can You Put Broken Glass In Recycling Bin? 🥛: In this blog, we will cover whether or not you can put broken glass in your recycling bin. We will also discuss other viable options you have when it comes to broken glass. Continue reading our blog to learn more.

Admittedly, I think I am one of the clumsiest people in the whole, wide world. I have already broken quite a lot of glass cups due to my clumsiness. There was even this one time when I accidentally dropped a wine glass. That was a lot of cleaning up I did!

Some of our readers may not have experienced this yet, therefore not having any experience in dealing with broken glass. How do you dispose of broken glass? Can you put broken glass in your recycling bin? Or, are there any other options you can do to dispose of broken glass? Below, we discuss all the possible options you can resort to should you accidentally drop a glass item. Read on to learn more.

Short answer: NEVER put broken glass in the recycling bin.

– Mr Waster

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Before we take you further into the discussion and determine how you can safely dispose of broken glass and the possibility of putting them in your recycling bin, we want to share Waster with you.

Who is Waster? Why do plenty consider it one of the best waste and recycling companies in Australia?

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READ: How To Dispose Of Oily Rags The Safe Way 🛢️

Do not put broken glass in your recycling bin

Breaking glass is a normal phenomenon that most of us have probably already done in the past. However, some of us that have already broke glass might not have done the correct way of dealing with broken glass.

As we may all know, the glass itself is one of the universally-accepted recyclable materials there is. In other words, you can recycle most of the types of glasses (examples of glasses you cannot recycle include ceramics, China glass, light bulbs or globes, mirrors and more) in your recycling bin. However, broken glass is a different story. Of course, we can easily place our unbroken glass in the recycling bin. Waster, in particular, offers commingled recycling services in which you can send your items made of glass there. No chemical reactions happen when you break glass, so you can also recycle them with ease, right? The answer to that is a big, fat NO.

Although it is still glass, in essence, broken glass cannot be put in your kerbside recycling bin because of a strong reason: it is too dangerous for workers to handle. There are several other reasons, but this is the most important to note when dealing with broken glass. Broken glass, due to its sharpness, can easily injure an unsuspecting recycling worker.

Therefore, you should wrap and seal them well before sending them to your general waste bin.

What about recycling facilities?

Now that the option of placing broken glass in your recycling bin has been crossed out, what about sending them to recycling facilities/centres?

Answer: that would depend on your local recycling centre. You first have to contact them and make sure that they would accept and receive broken glass without any qualms. Some local resource recovery centres in Australia do accept different types of items which includes broken glass. They can either recycle or safely dispose of them, if ever. Some might require payment, and some might not – check with your local recycling facility/centre first.

No putting broken glass in the recycling bin; safely dispose of it instead

Do take note that you should also not ‘just dump’ it in your rubbish bin, as well.  Treat it as an extremely dangerous object and dispose of it whilst using safety measures simultaneously. If you tread lightly in dealing with broken glass, physical and health hazards await you. Not only can you get a cut, but the broken glass can also contain infectious substances that can enter your body through the cut or puncture produced. Wherever setting you break glass: whether in the comfort of your home or a professional setting such as a laboratory, you have to deal with it responsibly.

Below, we provide you with a guide by the Glassperts on what you can do to properly collect broken glass before disposing of them.

• Make sure everyone within the vicinity is okay. Check the area and search for all the glass shards.

• Take first what you can see and get easily in a safe manner. Use protective gear such as gloves and boots to avoid making direct contact with broken glass. The larger pieces of broken glass should be put together in a pile and eventually wrapped up in several layers of newspaper, cloth or other materials that can easily hold the glass and will not be cut through by the broken pieces easily.

• Before you wrap them up, make sure to also gather the small shards of broken glass and put them in the pile. For minute glass shards that are difficult to spot, you can use a high-powered vacuum to suck them up.

• Check a few more times before wrapping up tightly. You might have missed a few as glass shards can become too small, therefore too difficult to see everything the first time. Some tips: a damp microfibre cloth and even a small slice of soft bread can help you gather the minute fragments.

• After all of that, place them in packaging where they can easily fit and would not cut through easily. Seal the package tightly with tape.

• Finally, label the box as ‘broken glass’ so the handlers can easily see them and would not be cut.

Contact Waster right now for your waste and recycling needs!

Does your Australian-based business need waste and recycling services? If so, then you have come to the right web page!

Please call 1300 WASTER (1300 927 837).  You can also email us at enquiries@waster.com.au if you have any further questions. Find the best deals in terms of waste and recycling pricing and services!