Glass Recycling

Definitions and Specifications

Industry Standards

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) publishes specifications and practices for container glass cullet purchased and sold in the United States and Canada. These cullet specifications are divided into two categories: unprocessed and processed cullet.

Unprocessed container cullet is defined as broken or whole scrap glass. Specifications for unprocessed cullet are listed for flint (clear), amber (brown), and green (emerald).

Processed container cullet is defined as crushed and whole contaminant-free scrap container glass that is furnace ready. The size of the cullet can vary from whole glass containers to minus-100 mesh. The ideal material size is 3/8 inch to 3/4 inch with a 10 percent minimum of fine particles. Material size is based upon buyer and seller's agreement. The cullet cannot contain ferrous and nonferrous metals, ceramics, or other glass (e.g., plate window, heat-resistant, or lead-based glass). The specifications also describe the amount of cullet color segregation allowed. For example, total nonflint cullet must contain less than 5 percent flint cullet.

Beneficiated glass is cullet that has been sorted, cleaned, crushed, sized, and is ready for sale to bottle or fiberglass manufacturers.

CalRecycle Material Type Definitions and Data

As of the fall of 1997 CalRecycle and local jurisdictions use three new material type definitions to update their solid waste characterization databases.

The new material type definitions were developed for glass in CalRecycle's uniform waste characterization methodology. The new glass material type definitions are as follows:

Clear Glass Bottles and Containers means clear glass beverage and food containers with or without a CRV label. Examples: Whole or broken clear soda and beer bottles, fruit juice bottles, peanut butter jars, and mayonnaise jars.

Colored Glass Bottles and Containers includes food and beverage containers three subtypes described below.

• Green Glass Bottles and Containers means green-colored glass containers with or without a CRV label. Examples: Whole or broken green soda, beer and wine bottles.

• Brown Glass Bottles and Containers means brown-colored glass containers with or without a CRV label. Examples: Whole or broken brown soda, beer and wine bottles.

• Other Colored Glass Bottles and Containers means colored glass containers and bottles other than green or brown with or without a CRV label. Examples: Whole or broken blue or other colored bottles and containers.

Remainder/Composite Glass means glass that cannot be put in any other type or subtype. It includes items made mostly of glass but combined with other materials. This type does not include any subtypes. Examples: This type includes Pyrex, Corningware, crystal and other glass tableware, mirrors, and auto windshields.

CalRecycle's solid waste characterization site includes a query-driven database to estimate the amount of glass (or any other material) disposed in a city, group of cities, a county, group of counties, or statewide. The disposal data is presently constructed for the commercial waste stream but will be expanded in the future to include the residential sector.