While glass is endlessly recyclable, it can easily break curbside causing it to contaminate other recyclables. The cost to recycle glass often out weighs the profits based on the process and abrasiveness on machinery. Many city municipalities are abandoning it altogether.
Americans dispose of some 10 million metric tons of glass annually- Only about one-third gets recycled...CRAZY!! Unlike plastic, glass is made from natural materials (sand) and will eventually break down.
The best thing you can do, however, is repurpose!!
We used a dishwashing bar and our coconut scrub brush to remove the labels from a variety of glass jars- salsa, olive, peanut butter, pasta sauce, etc.
- Lather the dishwashing bar under warm running water to fill the sink with soapy water.
- Let soak for 10-20 minutes.
- If you can, peel away the loose label then use the scrub brush to remove the rest. Our coconut scrub brush is our most abrasive brush yet- perfect for these tough cleaning projects around the house!
- For really GLUEY labels, use a bit of any kind of cooking oil and scrub (we used olive oil and it worked great!)
Repurposing > Recycling
There are endless possibilities, but you can repurpose glass jars for:
- Plastic-free food storage (fridge, freezer or pantry)
- Bulk Shopping (get the tare weight before you begin)
- Garage storage (great for screws, nails, odds and ends)
- Office organization (pencils, rubberbands, markers, paperclips, etc)
- Flower vases
- DIY cleaning wipes & DIY cleaning solutions
- Storing dog treats and bones
- Toy organization
- Craft organization
- & MORE!
