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Residing in Sydney can make you ask how does a vast city manage all the wastes—including the tonnes of glass and old bottles thrown in just a single day. In the current situation where resources are depleting, recycling and reusing are the best options to resolve such a volume of rubbish.
However, recycling and reusing bottles and glasses are not easy; thus, convincing people just to throw it. For that, this rubbish is a never-ending issue for many local councils in the city. But it’s a force to reckon with when recycling these items starts within yourself, bringing a significant environmental change.
That said, here are the recycling and reusing tips you can do with your old bottles and glass at home:
Ensure Effective Old Bottles Recycling
Let’s talk about your old glass bottles — as other glasses are not allowed to enter your curbside bins. You might expect all bottles you’ve thrown in the recycling bins to the recycling facilities.
It’s true that many facilities only accept old bottles as it’s more convenient to melt them to create new jars in which other household glasses aren’t qualified.
However, your expectation is far from reality as most of these old bottles end up in landfills. It’s because of the contaminants from unwashed bottles thrown in the recycling bins. Also, the lids of these bottles are not part of the recyclable, making it unacceptable in the recycling facilities.
On that, it’s necessary to clean the bottles and remove the plastic lids to make sure all of it ends up in the recycling facility.
Note that melting the old bottles requires less energy than processing all the raw materials in creating it. Aside from saving energy, effective recycling means lesser bottles and bottles will fill up the landfills.
Ways in Reusing Your Glass at Home
Other glasses such as your glassware and drinking glass cannot enter the recycling bins compared to old bottles.
These glasses need higher melting points than ordinary bottles and jars. And you might need to hire rubbish removal services to deliver it to drop-off centres that have facilities recycling these materials.
On the other hand, you can donate your glasses if it’s in good condition. Or repurpose it although it takes a lot of effort to do. But surely its outcomes are very fulfilling and worthy enough.
Reusing your glasses is not just a shortcut in disposing of your rubbish, but it’s a step by step process towards a cleaner and sustainable living. All you need is a touch of creativity and imagination to do it. For that, these are some of the things you can do to reuse glasses and old bottles in your home:
Repurpose Glass Into Delicate Chandelier
The different colour of glasses in your home is an excellent accessories for creating your do-it-yourself pendant light or chandelier. Even broken glasses can turn into alternative crystals, reflecting vibrant lights that beautify your home.
Create a Glass Planter
Piling your bottles and glasses into a circular fashion creates a glass planter. Also, you can hang plants in your glass containers that add a charming appeal to your garden.
Reused Bottle Bird Feeder
Using some old bottles, woods and wire ropes, you can create a bird feeder. Cut the bottom part of your clean, old bottle and turn it upside down inside the wooden house. Place the seeds inside the bottle and pull it up every time you refill the food for the lovely flying creatures.
DIY Liquid Soap Bottle Dispenser
Every time you have wine or other bottles, clean it and purchase a pump. You can save a pump from a disposable version and place it in a container with a liquid dispenser. And there you have a liquid soap dispenser for washing your dishes.
Old Bottles for Spice Storage
Plastic containers have chemicals that can leach to food or any substance you store in it.
With that, glass bottles are more advisable to use for storage. Clean old glass jars to store spices and other stuff to save space in your cupboards.
DIY Glass Terrarium
Creating a terrarium is popular nowadays. Using small or large glass bottles, fill it with pebbles and soil, and then you’re ready to plant succulents or cacti. You can place it near your window with abundant sunlight, and you have a terrarium that brings a little touch of nature in your home.
Broken Glass in Kitchen Countertops
The standard design used in countertops is marble or granite, but broken glasses can replace them. Use any colours of crushed glass crystals with epoxy to create visually appealing countertops for your kitchen. Such a smart way of creating perfect countertops and even unusual looking bathrooms will make you worry less for broken glasses in your home.
Conclusion
The old bottle and glasses can take millions of years to decompose; recycling and reusing are vital to stop them from filling up landfills in the next decades.
But it takes effort and creativity to repurpose these glasses in your home. Despite that, recycling and reusing these items can make a huge impact on creating a cleaner and more sustainable environment.
But repurposing your glasses as a way of recycling might consume too much of your time. In this case, you need Aussie Junk to collect your old bottles and drinks to make sure it will go directly to a recycling facility. Our team consists of expert removalists that can help you remove any rubbish in your home 24/7.
For fast and reliable rubbish removal in Sydney please call us today at 0435 569 921.
