After glass falls onto the floor and shatters into pieces, you might be left wondering how to best dispose the pieces. The shards could be from a wine glass, a container, window or door glass, a bottle and so on.
Broken glass is one of the most delicate waste to handle. It can easily injure you, or make holes in garbage bags and cause harm to trash handlers.
Therefore, whatsoever you do with it, you must have yourself and others in mind.
How to Dispose Broken Glass
After you have followed the right procedure for cleaning broken glass, do not throw the pieces directly into your garbage bag.
You should also not throw them into a recycle bin. Unless you are sure that it’s the kind of glass that can be recycled. Generally, not all glasses can be recycled.
Further, different types of glass should not be mixed together during the recycling process. They have different melting points, which can affect the process negatively.
What you will need
- Brush
- Dustpan
- Flashlight
- Newspaper/ rag
- A hammer
- Puncture-proof container, cardboard box or carton
- Marker pen
Instructions
Step 1: Use a brush to sweep the glass pieces around one area. Be careful because some glass pieces can get stuck in the brush bristles.
Step 2: Turn off the lights if the broken glass pieces are inside the house. Follow up by using a flashlight to find pieces that might have scattered in hidden places.
Step 3: Collect the waste with a dustpan and shake off the brush to ensure that there are no pieces left inside the bristles.
Step 4: Use a hammer to hit big pieces for easier handling. Hit gently so that the pieces do not scatter all over the place. This can be dangerous especially if you are not wearing proper protective gear.
Step 5: Transfer the pieces into several sheets of newspaper or a thick rag and wrap gently. This step prevents small pieces from sticking onto the surface of a box, container or carton.
Step 6: Transfer the wrapped waste into a container with a lid or a cardboard box or carton. Cover the box or container well. You can seal all the edges with a tape if using a carton.
Step 7: Use a marker pen to indicate the contents that are inside the box for proper handling and safety purposes.
Step 8: Transfer the container/box into the bin.
Take Container Glass for Recycling
Unlike other types of glass, container glass can be taken for recycling. Examples include glass bottles and jars. These are made of materials that can be reused without loss of quality.
The composition of glass that cannot be recycled contains materials that are considered hazardous waste.
