Guide
Why coffee grounds don’t belong in the drain
by Martin Rupf
A glass of wine
10.12.2019
Translation: machine translated
The credo of all lazy recyclers when they throw glass away with the household rubbish? "Well, let's face it: it's not true at all.
From an economic point of view, it's a shame to use paid bags to dispose of something as bulky as glass. After all, it can be disposed of for free at various collection points. But there are always smarter people who want to ease their conscience by claiming that glass is perfectly suitable for incineration. According to them, the temperature in conventional household waste furnaces isn't high enough, so used glass is added to remedy this.
Glass can be sorted
This all makes no sense, says Rainer Bunge, professor of environmental technology at Rapperswil University of Applied Sciences. "The rumour persists. Every year it's the same old story, students ask this question."
But the reasons given sometimes differ. Some say that the glass cleans the oven. Others say it helps slag to form. "The fact is that glass should be taken to the container provided for this purpose for recycling. It doesn't belong in the household waste," adds Rainer Bunge.
Should I sort glass by colour?
There are rumours that brown, green and white glass bottles would later be re-mixed, so sorting would be pointless. This rumour is not based on totally erroneous facts. "In fact, when glass waste is mixed together, a raw material is obtained once it has been melted down. Of course, it can no longer be used to make bottles, but the resulting material is suitable for the production of cellular glass, which is used to insulate houses," says Rainer Bunge. "As soon as bottles and other glass containers are made from used glass, sorting by colour is mandatory."
Whichever way you look at it, glass can be sorted according to the right colour.
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
Home + Kitchen
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