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REUSE GLASS
Do you have some jars and bottles lying around at home and you’re wondering what to do with them?
Besides being an endlessly recyclable (Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro, 2016),glass also has many health benefits) that make it suitable for reuse. One of its key feature is its inertness, which means that glass acts as strong barrier against external influences, keeping the contents inside safe and protected (Dieter Schrenk, 2014).
So, whether you want to give your jar a new life by recycling or reusing it, you know that you can do so safely. Here, we’ll explain the ins and outs of reusing glass.
Is all glass reusable?
While many types of glass, such as those used for bottles and containers, can be easily recycled or reused, certain types of glass used for industrial applications, like tempered glass, may not be suitable for standard reuse processes.
But for the typical containers, as glass is a permanent material that doesn’t degrade over time, it can be safely reused without losing its quality or core properties.
How to reuse glass?
From old spirits bottles to perfume and jam jars, glass comes in a variety of designs, shapes, and colours, giving creative minds plenty of room for ideas on how to reuse them.
Perhaps you want to brighten up your living room with a new décor or give your plants a new pot to grow in, or simply reuse your jars to store the season’s homemade jam. One thing’s for sure: the possibilities are endless.
Getting your jars ready: cleaning and sterilising
First, you want to start by thoroughly cleaning and sterilising your jars to remove labels, glue, and any food residue. To make the task easier, you can soak the containers in hot water for 5 minutes before washing (some suggest applying a mixture of baking soda and citrus oils for extra effectiveness). While removing the labels can be a little tricky, it’s nothing a bit of scrubbing and scraping can’t solve.
Once you’ve removed the labels, you can soak the containers and lids in warm, soapy water for another 5-10 minutes, preferably with a natural soap. You can also sterilise your containers and bottles by boiling them in hot water and letting them dry completely before using. Now, onto the exciting part!
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Old sauce jars and containers are the perfect solution for preserving fruit, vegetables, jam and pickles. Why? Because glass is free from toxic chemicals or additional plastic linings, making it one of the safest food contact materials when it comes to chemical detection. That also means glass keeps our food fresher for longer.
Before filling your jars with homemade treats, make sure to follow the steps above for cleaning and sterilisation. Seal the containers tightly with a lid and label them with the contents and date so you always know what’s inside and how long it’s been preserved for. The transparency of glass also helps you to keep an eye on your food and prevent it from spoiling or going to waste.
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Now that you have lots of ideas on how to reuse your jars and bottles at home, all you have to do is get started. If you are still not feeling creative or don’t know what to do with your jars, you can always recycle them. While recycling guidelines might vary from city to city, glass is infinitely recyclable and recycling it helps the industry save energy, raw materials and carbon emissions.
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