Do you recycle at your home or place of business? If so, great,
if not, you should. Americans in general are very wasteful and the more we can
recycle the better. Understanding what can be recycled and what cannot be
recycled is key. Many people are unaware of how important it is to recycle
glass. Enough glass is thrown into landfills each year to fill up a huge
skyscraper such as the Empire State Building.
How Glass is Recycled
Glass can be recycled repeatedly without losing any strength,
quality or purity. Many communities have either curb collection or drop-off
sites where glass is collected. Once glass reaches the recycling center, it is
sorted by color and washed thoroughly to remove impurities. The glass is then crushed and melted or left
as crushed. Melted glass can be used to make new bottles or jars. The use of
crushed glass is gaining popularity in many industries including construction.
Crushed glass is used as a base in new road construction, as a filter for water
purification and as a backfill material for gas, sewer and water pipe trenches.
Another interesting use for crushed glass is in art.
Crushed Glass Art Project
There are numerous ways to use glass in an art project. The most
common is to use crushed glass that can be found in almost any arts and crafts
store, to create a picture. You can also crush your own glass if you have the
right tools; colored wine bottles work best. To crush your own glass use a
tabletop electric sink disposer. This breaks the glass down easily and safely.
For novices, pre packaged crush glass is best, and it comes in a rainbow of
colors. You will also need some clear craft glue, a turkey baster, a piece of
glass from a picture frame and an image. You can draw your own image, use a photograph
or purchase a stained glass template at a craft store.
Process
Sift the glass pieces from large to small. The various sized
pieces will be of slightly different hues, which give you more color variety.
Divide the glass pieces into containers according to color. Place the image
under the piece of picture frame glass and put various colors of crushed glass
on top of glass piece to make the image. Use darker glass to make outlines, so
that your picture has the appearance of stained glass. Apply glue to glass
pieces using a turkey baster. Allow the glass picture to dry for at least 8
hours before moving.
About the
Author: Susan Patterson is a homeschooling mother with a passion for
the environment. She recently completed an article that outlined the benefit of
having an historical aerial done.
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