How Using Recycled Glass Helps Save the Environment

In today’s world, environmentally friendly practices are more critical than ever. One such practice that can have a significant positive impact is using recycled materials. At Bicycle Glass, we pride ourselves on producing sustainable fixtures by crafting our hand-blown glass pendants from 100% recycled glass. Below, we shine a light on just a few of the ways we help save the environment by using recycled glass.

Reducing Landfill Waste

One of the most apparent benefits of using recycled glass is that it reduces the amount of waste in landfills. Glass is non-biodegradable, meaning that it doesn’t break down organically. Instead, it remains in landfills for hundreds of years, contributing to already overburdened waste storage facilities.

By recycling and repurposing old glass into new products, we can alleviate some of the pressure placed on our landfills. At Bicycle Glass, the recycled glass we do use comes straight from a waste facility in our neighboring city of St. Paul. Our local communities used the glass first before it made its way to our studio.

Glass is infinitely recyclable. Our internal recycling practice ensures the transformation of nearly 100% of the post-consumer recycled glass we receive. This means we can remelt and craft our glass into something new when a piece, shade, or globe does not meet our quality standards.

Conserving Raw Materials and Energy

Recycling glass leads to waste reduction in landfills and conserves the raw materials required to manufacture new glass. In addition, the melting process of recycled glass is more energy efficient, as it requires less heat to melt than new glass materials. This efficiency will in turn reduce the need for non-renewable energy sources, ultimately minimizing our carbon footprint.

Air Quality Improvement

As previously stated, making glass from raw materials produces a significant amount of greenhouse gasses and pollutants. These toxins can harm the environment and contribute to climate change. Recycling glass requires fewer processes, leading to a substantial reduction in the emission of toxic gasses. This toxic emission reduction results in an overall improvement in air quality, which benefits both the environment and human health.

Using recycled glass helps save the environment in numerous ways, including reducing landfill waste, conserving raw materials and energy, and improving air quality. Companies like ours stand as a testament to how making sustainable choices in production can create stunning products while minimizing our impact on the planet. We make all our hand-blown glass lighting fixtures with 100% pre- and post-consumer recycled glass sourced locally in our community. By offering these unique and beautiful designs, we can also reinforce the importance of sustainability in modern-day businesses.