glass disposal

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BlueHorseStudios

BlueHorseStudios

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Joined
Jun 19, 2008
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26
Loc
New Orleans
I've been framing for nearly 25 years and have tried many varieties of packing glass for garbage disposal. I'm not really happy with any method. Seems a pain in the drain however I do it. Any tips?
 
Are you saying that you have no dumpster. I just dump it in there loose.
 
Cut it into small pieces with a hand held cutter and put it in a box inside of a box.
 
And then tape the box shut!! Since you have pickup during the night, you might even mark it for glass so no one tries to open it.
 
My shop is small - and we have city garbage totes. I use chop boxes and cut scraps 4" or less to fit then tape shut and write BROKEN GLASS all over in black marker so hopefully no one slices off any body parts.
 
I hope my question wasn't too lame...I just want a quick effective method of disposal without spending much time cutting down the glass. Thanks to you who responded!
 
Regular glass is okay; Conservation UV Glass is NOT! This from our city recycling company; as in--straight from the horse's mouth!

How do we deal with it? We put glass scraps into small cardboard boxes and then tape them up with all the appropriate warnings markered on the outside, just like everyone else, it appears!

Wendy
The Art Corner
Salem, MA
 
This topic is brought up quite frequently round these parts and every once in a while someone mentions that they are lucky enough to be in or near a municipality with very creative recyclers - glass is sometimes crushed and mixed into concrete or asphalt for roads and sidewalks. But that is a rarity.

I cut all of my glass by hand and it is easy enough to simply slice wider left-overs into narrower pieces to slide into chop boxes. A lot easier on the ears than crashing cut-offs and smashing them into metal cans - that used to make my poor ears ringggggg......
 
We reuse photopaper boxes as they are really thick on all sides + top & bottom, maybe a local photolab could help?
 
In my area I called the township about having the glass recycled, I was told the glass couldn't be recycled because it was broken! Gotta love that one.
 
The rules for recycling in Maine say no window/glass but jars of any color are ok.

So you cannot recycle framing glass in Maine. You must throw it out or find someone who does grind it up for asphalt use.
 
I think they won't accept broken glass because someone has to handle it and could cut themselves too easily... insurance reasons.
 
Unlike glass containers used for food and drinks, all picture glass contains lead, so it cannot be recycled in standard pickups – something about kids, mental retardation and Thomas Kincaide.

Some municipalities will recycle leaded glass but they are few and far between. The nearest one to me is in Cambridge, Massachusetts which is nearly 50 miles away.

So, it’s into the land fill for my glass, unfortunately.
 
A major problem with recycling float glass of any type - windows - picture framing - is that the glass industry does not accept it.... due to quality control issues.

All float glass is process in a continuous process raw materials going into the furnace at one end and the glass coming out the other end. The furnaces operate 24/7/365/20years (20 years straight) before they are shut down for rebricking. So, if there is contaminated raw materials in the sequence...... they have to cycle that material out ( that can take a long time - days of production) and or shut down and rebrick before it is needed. This would all cost mega bucks.

The industry also does not have any standards for this product to be accepted for recycling http://www.scrapb2b.com/scrap_specifications/glass/glass.htm

The only use for this material is for minor volume uses - such as filler for paving materials. I have no idea and did not find anyQC requirements for fiber glass products.

Any recycling program is limited by a demand, if any, to a manufacturer to use it. If no manufacturers will accept it, it will not be recycled.
 
That's great to know! I was just going to call the recycling center in Waterville this morning, too. I'll have to inform the boss of that one. Thanks so much for that information --

--LEAD?! Good Lord, haven't we learned ANYTHING about LEAD?! Looks like I'm going to look into that some more. Carp. Maybe we should be handling the stuff with gloves if there's lead involved. Yikes.

And I love crashing glass! It's very theraputic! (as so long as I'm wearing protective goggles and whatnot.)
 
I keep a strong wooden box near the glass cutter lined with a plastic bag and then smash the glass with a hammer until no large pieces remain that can threaten a handler. I then pour the small pieces into another bag and put it in my outgoing dumpster. Wear a mask and gloves. No problems.

Jack Cee
 
Nothing like the sound of breaking glass in the morning!!:shutup:
 
I have a recycle tote that I fill with the glass and bring it to the recycling center (OK dump). In my home town I throw it in the hopper with the household trash bags, for my shop's town it goes right into the recycling bin.

I was told by my town that the glass is not recyclable and that the paper is not either. Striaght from the horse's mouth ;) When I bring it to Kennebunk they say glass is recyclable so is the paper. Straight from the horse's mouth ;)

Depends what horse you talk to.

A really great sound is taking the scratched panes of glass and throwing them up into the air so that they land flat on the metal ramp. beautiful shattering sound followed by a great sching sound of the shards sliding into the hopper.

I don't like leaving glass shards outside my shop. I figure if anyone is gonna get sued it'll be me and I do what I can to avoid that issue! The local glass shop has a big glass only dumpster. They get paid by the recycler for their glass. They sell the same glass options that I do.
 
I have regular garbage pick up. The kind of truck that grabs the big lidded can and mechanically dumps it in the truck. I just dump my glass into that can. I have never really thought about it. Should I be concerned about some liability issues or something?
 
Kyle I'd say no as noone physically touches the can. It's all done by machine for you. I'm just paranoid ;) And I like going to the recyclo-dump. And am using the suit issue as justification.

I had a housemate that threw away 5 VW motors and trannies and other parts into a dumpster. Then he sat around and waited for the truck to come. He said that hydraulic hoses and fluid was flying all over. Did I mention that he was pretty irresponsible?
 
I would NEVER throw loose glass into the dumpster! Don't you ever watch TV? I see people jump, fall, and get thrown into dumpsters all the time on TV. It just always worries me that someone will slice an artery by accident...my 2 cents.
 
That's why dumpsters should be locked at all times.
 
IMHO - worrying about loose glass in a dumpster is a lot of wasted time.

What about all the other stuff that goes into a dumpster.

nails in wood
pointed shorts of wood moulding
pieces of metal
pieces of plastic
all types of other sharp objects
bags of dog droppings
stuff people from the neighborhood place in your dumpster that they are not allowed to place on the curb for pickup

Has anyone actually hear of any legal action from someone jumping into a dumpster and going after a building owner?
 
There's been drunks suing the bar they were at all night for getting them liquored up and letting them drive into the light pole that's been there for 25 years.

With enough free market and hungry lawyers, anything is sueable..probably this post too! :D
 
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