Metal+Glass Recycling in the USA

Using a similar set of statistics as some of my peers, I thought about the topic of sustainability, and so a question I asked myself is: what’s in my environment that I can potentially reuse. Two types of material I come to find I use often include: glass especially when I think of my phone, what I use to drink, windows etc. The second one I often use is metal whether that be my phone, my car, my speaker etc. From 1960-2018, the epa estimates that the total change in glass recycling amounted to approximately: 2,960,000 tons. In that same time stretch, total change in the amount of metal recycled amounted to 8,670,000 tons. The growth factor for glass was about 30.6 and for metal it was about 174.4. The Percentage Change for glass is then: 3060% and for metals it was 17440%. When calculating the rate of change for glass: 2.96 x 10^6/58= 51034.48 tons more of glass was recycled per year and for metals it was: 8.76 x 10^6/58= 151034.48 tons more of metal recycled per year. 

Glass recycling on the surface may sound like a good idea, but I decided to dig a little deeper into the materials recycling controversy surrounding its overall utility. According to various websites disputing the overall eco-friendliness of the material, glass is “endlessly” recyclable yet bottles/jars etc. require more energy to manufacture and then recycle and process into sand or reprocess into reusable glass than it takes to reuse plastic. However, plastics’ lifetime utility decreases after a few years whereas glass according to some websites is repeatedly reusable. According to one source, for 10% of broken down glass getting recycled (per year) total energy costs to break it down reduces by 3%. This controversy makes me reevaluate the short-term and long term impacts, in other words, the opportunity cost not just on the good itself, but the lifetime impact of the consumption of the good and its future ramifications on an interconnected issue like carbon emissions.

Works cited: 

https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials#composting

https://earth.org/glass-bottles-environmental-impact/

https://www.britglass.org.uk/our-work/recycling

https://cen.acs.org/materials/inorganic-chemistry/glass-recycling-US-broken/97/i6

https://earth911.com/business-policy/how-many-times-recycled/

19 thoughts on “Metal+Glass Recycling in the USA

  1. I think that this was a really interesting topic to research. Personally, I knew hardly anything surrounding the recycling of glass so this was really informative!

  2. This topic really grabbed my attention. I would have never thought glass had any relation to enviromental issues. Thank you for taking the time to dig deep into this subject and share your knowledge.

  3. You raise a really good point regarding the short term vs. long term efficacy of recycling glass as opposed to plastic. One thing I was thinking about while reading your post was looking into how much of the glass that gets recycled (placed into recycling bins) actually gets melted down and recycled into something new? Same for metal. I think that’s something interesting to look into regarding the long term recycling of these materials vs. plastics.

  4. I thought it was very interesting how you contrasted the recyclability of different materials. I did not realize glass is endlessly recyclable but this makes sense.

  5. Something I’ve definitely noticed is that some bottle brands, such as Snapple, changed from glass to plastic. Although glass bottles are a bit difficult to recycle, wouldn’t it be considered less eco friendly if plastic bottles are the replacement?

  6. Hello scholarly community! I can’t help but share my positive encounter with dissertationguru.net. The guidance and assistance I received were not just helpful but instrumental in shaping my research. Definitely a top pick for anyone in need of dissertation support.

  7. Wow, this is a really impressive post. I find that the material that you have supplied for me is both quite helpful and very wonderful. Continue to disseminate useful knowledge. Your blog is one of my favorites because I was able to get some very useful information on it.
    papa’s freezeria

  8. شركة العطار لخدمات ترميم المنازل تتألق كواحدة من أبرز الشركات في مجالها، حيث تقدم خدماتها بتفانٍ واهتمام فائقين لتلبية احتياجات عملائها بشكل استثنائي. تتمتع الشركة بفريق متخصص من الحرفيين المهرة والمتميزين، الذين يتفرغون للعمل بأدق التفاصيل لضمان جودة الخدمة ورضا العملاء. تشتمل خدمات الشركة على ترميم وتجديد المنازل بمختلف جوانبها، سواء كان ذلك في تحسين الهيكل الداخلي أو الخارجي. تتسم الشركة بالابتكار واستخدام أحدث التقنيات والمواد لضمان تحقيق نتائج متفوقة وتحقيق توازن مثالي بين الجمال والوظائف العملية. بفضل سمعتها الطيبة والإلتزام الدائم بالجودة، تعد شركة العطار لخدمات ترميم المنازل خيارًا موثوقًا لكل من يبحث عن تحسين جودة حياتهم من خلال تجديد منزلهم بشكل استثنائي ومتقن.
    شركة ترميم منازل وفلل بجدة

  9. The article is very interesting and attracts my opinion. With lots of good and additional information. I am waiting for new articles from you. This retro bowl unblocked game will be entertaining to play while you are bored at work or home.

  10. This article prompts us to reflect on the opportunity cost of our consumption habits and the broader consequences they may have on our interconnected global issues. By being more conscious of our choices and seeking sustainable alternatives, we can contribute to a more environmentally responsible future.khalidelarbi——-business for sale

  11. 是否因为繁忙的学业和工作压力而感到力不从心?我们理解您的困扰,并为您提供专业的留学生论文代写 http://www.hotessay.net/our_service1.php 服务。无论是学术论文、研究报告,还是其他书面作业,我们的专业团队都能满足您的需求。我们的代写服务不仅保证高质量的内容,还确保100%原创,无抄袭风险。我们经验丰富的写手队伍会严格按照您的要求和标准,准时交付每一篇文章,帮助您轻松获得高分。现在下单,即享限时优惠,让您的学习更轻松、更高效。快来体验我们的优质服务吧,让我们成为您学术道路上的坚实后盾!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *