I hit my 100th jar upcycle this weekend and it got me thinking about the whole glass jar debate

Do you guys think it's better to upcycle old jars into storage containers and vases like I've been doing, or should we be trying to send them back for actual recycling since that uses less energy, what's your take on this after hitting a milestone number like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomasm4115d agoOG Member

I actually read somewhere that a lot of glass recycling facilities have gotten stricter about what they'll take, and some of them just crush up the jars and use it as landfill cover anyway instead of making new glass. So the energy savings argument kinda depends on your local system. For example, my buddy in Portland says his city's recycling program actually gets the glass remelted properly, so he always recycles his jars. But where I live, I swear half the jars I put in the bin just end up getting tossed. So I think your 100 upcycles are probably doing more good than bad, especially if you're using them for stuff like homemade pickles or bean storage that you'd otherwise buy in plastic containers.

reed.ray14d ago

Yeah, @thomasm41, that bit about the landfill cover is what I keep coming back to. Does your buddy in Portland know for sure that the glass actually gets remelted, or is that just what the city tells people? I've seen a few local facilities putting out glowing reports about their "closed loop" system while a former employee told me they still ship a bunch of it to an aggregate yard.