Behind the Scenes: The Glass Recycling Process
Behind the Scenes: The Glass Recycling Process
Glass is 100% recyclable, infinitely — without losing quality or purity. In this blog, we’re taking you behind the scenes of a glass recycling process, showing you exactly how used glass is turned into beautiful, functional packaging that’s ready for your products.
Step 1: Collection & Sorting
It all begins with post-consumer and post-industrial glass. These materials are collected through:
- Municipal recycling programs
- Commercial partners (like restaurants and beverage companies)
- Our internal return and refill systems (if applicable)
Once the glass reaches our facility, it's sorted by colour (clear, green, amber). This is crucial because different glass colours serve different product needs and are recycled separately to maintain quality.
Step 2: Cleaning & Crushing
Next, the sorted glass is cleaned to remove any non-glass contaminants:
- Bottle caps, labels, plastic rings, and leftover residue
- Metals and ceramics (which can damage furnaces)
After cleaning, the glass is crushed into cullet, small, pebble-like pieces that are ready to be remelted. Using cullet instead of raw materials can reduce energy consumption by up to 30%!
Step 3: Melting & Forming
The clean cullet is then mixed with a small amount of raw materials (silica sand, soda ash, and limestone) and fed into our high-efficiency furnaces, where it’s melted at around 1,400–1,600°C (2,500–2,900°F).
Once molten, the glass is shaped into new packaging using:
- Moulds for bottles and jars
- Blow-and-blow or press-and-blow techniques, depending on the container type
Thanks to the quality of our cullet and strict quality control, the finished product is just as strong and clear as virgin glass, but with a significantly lower carbon footprint.
Step 4: Inspection & Quality Control
Every recycled glass container goes through a rigorous inspection process. We use:
- Automated inspection machines to check for cracks, bubbles, and inconsistencies
- Human inspection teams for quality assurance
Only glass containers that meet our exacting standards make it to the packaging line.
Step 5: Ready for Reuse
The recycled, reformed glass containers are now ready to be:
- Shipped to product manufacturers
- Customized with labels, embossing, or closures
- Reused in refill programs (where applicable)
By the time our glass packaging reaches your hands, it’s gone through a closed-loop process, creating less waste, fewer emissions, and more value.
Why It Matters
Glass recycling is more than good practice, it’s a powerful way to reduce environmental impact:
- Reduces landfill waste
- Cuts CO₂ emissions
- Conserves raw materials
- Supports a circular economy
When you choose glass, especially recycled glass, you're part of a more sustainable future.
Join the Movement
Want to make your brand more eco-friendly? Partner with us to use high-quality recycled glass packaging for your products. Whether you're in food & beverage, beauty, or wellness, we've got sustainable options tailored to you.