Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Recycling Whole Glass
• Method 2 of 2: Recycling Broken Glass
• Warnings

We have to throw out broken glass quite often, but when it comes to throwing out large and completely intact glass objects, most people have questions. Whether you are cleaning up a broken bottle or throwing away a sliding glass door, recycling glass is easy as long as you follow all the necessary precautions.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Recycling Whole Glass

1. 1 Give glass to other people. Mirrors or even glass countertops can be donated to a friend or charity. By giving the glass to someone, you will not only get rid of it and help others, but also prevent the glass from ending up in a landfill.
2. 2 Recycle glass. Recycling your specific glass depends on the area in which you live. Mirrors, window panes, and other large pieces of glass are chemically different from a regular glass bottle, so recycling plants may not accept them. If your locality accepts window panes and the like for recycling, it means that the receiving organization has a specific procedure for this. Contact her representative and follow their glass collection instructions.
   • To do this, you will most likely have to transport the glass to the collection point yourself.
3. 3 Contact your waste disposal company. If it looks like your only option is to dispose of glass in a landfill, you should first contact a waste disposal company. The company may not accept large pieces of glass as a whole. Information on weight and size restrictions can usually be found on the company's website or by calling their support team.
   • If you are told to break the panel first, then the second method is better for you.
4. 4 Cover the glass surface with tape. If the glass is large enough to be discarded in its entirety, prepare it for disposal. Since the glass will be touched by the waste collection and disposal workers, you should take care that the glass does not break or pose a hazard to them. First of all, tape the glass surface with tape. This will secure the glass and prevent it from shattering into small pieces if it breaks.
   • Cover both the front and back of the glass.
   • The larger the surface you glue, the better, but if you want to save some tape, wrap the front and back sides of the glass crosswise.
5. 5 Wrap the glass. Take an air bubble wrap or an old blanket that you do not mind throwing away, wrap it around the glass and glue it tightly. Thus, if the glass does crack and some of the pieces separate from the tape, they will remain in the wrapper.
6. 6 Mark the glass. After carefully wrapping the glass, mark the packaging so other people know to be careful with it. The phrase "Glass for recycling" will be enough.
   • The lettering must be large and legible.
7. 7 Place the glass next to the waste container. If you throw the glass in the trash bin, your signature won't make sense. Therefore, place the glass next to the nearest container. Make sure the lettering is facing outward and easy to see.

Method 2 of 2: Recycling Broken Glass

1. 1 Break the glass carefully. If you end up with a whole piece of glass that is too large to be thrown in the trash in the usual way, you will have to break it into smaller pieces that can be recycled. Place the glass on the ground and cover the entire piece with an old blanket or some old towels so that the debris does not fly out when you start breaking the glass with a hammer or shovel.
   • Take a blanket that you don't mind throwing away and place it under the glass to make it easier for yourself to clean up tiny pieces.
   • If glass fits in a trash can, put glass in it and break it there.
   • Remember to wear gloves and goggles or other eye protection when breaking glass.
2. 2 Take proper precautions. Always wear heavy-soled work gloves and heavy-soled shoes when handling broken glass, whether it is a broken bottle or a large window glass. Also, keep children and pets away from the broken glass until you have cleaned everything up.
3. 3 Place large pieces of glass in a large trash bag. Start by removing large pieces of glass and throwing them into a large trash bag. For these purposes, it is advisable to use dense garbage bags so that the glass cannot pierce or break them.
   • Don't just use a heavy garbage bag, but put the second bag inside the first one and then put the broken glass there. It is much easier to put a second bag inside the first and only then start cleaning, than trying to shove a bag full of garbage into the second.
4. 4 Vacuum up small pieces of glass. When you have collected all the large pieces, vacuum the area with a conventional tube vacuum cleaner. Since the glass could fly far away, vacuum the area with a radius of five meters.
   • Be sure to vacuum the area with a stationary tube vacuum cleaner. Robot vacuum cleaners can crush glass into even smaller pieces, and they also lack the suction power of the tube.
   • Many people prefer to clean the glass with a broom or mop rather than a vacuum cleaner, but shards of glass can easily get stuck in rods or bristles and then end up elsewhere. Vacuuming is more reliable.
5. 5 Run a piece of soft bread over the area. Even a vacuum cleaner can miss a few tiny pieces of glass, which, despite their small size, can still cut or irritate the skin. A loaf of bread is a simple and inexpensive tool for cleaning up these pieces of glass powder. Take a piece of soft bread from the kitchen and run it crumb down on the floor to collect the remaining glass.
   • Although there is bread in almost any home, other household items can cope with this task. Cut potatoes, duct tape, duct tape, or a sticky cleaning roller will work as well.
   • Be careful not to accidentally touch the part of your improvised instrument where the glass is already glued.
6. 6 Wipe the area with a damp paper towel. A damp paper towel will help to complete the cleaning: carefully wipe the area where the glass was lying. Be sure to also wipe the soles of your boots to remove any glass dust that may have adhered during cleaning.
7. 7 Place the trash bag in the cardboard box. Some companies may ask you to dispose of glass in hard packaging. If so, place the glass-filled waste bags in a cardboard box, seal it, and label it as Broken Glass.
8. 8 Place the box with the rest of the rubbish. Congratulations, you have packaged and marked the broken glass correctly. It can now be thrown into the trash can.

Warnings

• Be very careful when handling broken glass. Wear gloves, eye protection and thick-soled shoes before cleaning the glass.
• Keep pets away from the broken glass. Lock them in another room while you remove the glass.