Recycling the used empty glass bottles idea

[spader]

We have loads of empty glass bottles, which used to be binned in the recycle bins. But lately the one across the road is full, and has not been emptied for weeks. The next nearest recycle bins are about 5 miles drive distance. So I was thinking how to recycle the empty bottles in the house. The only idea I came up with is using them to put down into the garden ground for using it as substitues for the Type 1 agregates when flattening the ground for the preparation of garden shed installation.

The Type1 agregates price has gone up drastically, and it is just too much difference compared to the pre economic meltdown times.
Rather than paying for the increased material, why not use the empty bottles crushed and put down into the soil for making the base of the slabs?

But would this work? I am not sure if it will work or would it be non working idea, or it would work but create some other problems later?
What do you think? Any other ideas for empty bottle recycling ideas?

 

[Mr Chibs]

What about making your own sea glass, toss broken bottles into the cement mixer with some gravel and water... goggles and ear defenders essential.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

1 There'll be a phone number or company name or some sort of operator info on that bin- get in touch, tell them it's full. Does your refuse collection not include glass for recycling?
2 Wouldn't advise crushing glass in the garden- it'll migrate into the lawn (if you have any) and be a pain to actually do. If you're putting your shed on council (50mm thick) pavers and it really is a shed (not one of these massive garden office things you could live in) you'd get away with slabs on soil, might want some sand to help with a level bed. Or road planings if you're determined to put aggregate down

 

[scbk]

If you want to save money, stop buying stuff that comes in the glass bottles!

As above, phone the council or whoever and tell them the glass recycling bin is full.


I've always loved the look of glass bottles built into a wall, maybe one day I will get round to making one

glass bottle wall - Google Search

The Type1 agregates price has gone up drastically, and it is just too much difference compared to the pre economic meltdown times.

As of April 2022 quarries (and construction) are no longer allowed to use red diesel, they now run on white. All the wheel loaders, crushers, screeners etc use huge amounts of diesel, so the extra cost is all going to a worthy cause, in the form of HM Government

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

We have loads of empty glass bottles, which used to be binned in the recycle bins.

Wash and refill them, if they are wine bottles. Make your own wine, even as a kit, for around 60p per bottle.

 

[spader]

Great ideas thank you. Using crushed glass bottles as Type1 for levelling the slabs doesn't seem a good idea for sure. I wonder what if they were put into cement instead of pebbles (now very expensive I guess), and made into bricks or concretes. Just another passing idea

 

[Alec_t]

You could build a wall with the bottles.

 

[conny]

I can't get the picture out of my head of a toddler falling on a concrete surface which has had broken glass mixed in.
It's bad enough scraping the hands and knees on pebbles!

 

[spader]

I can't get the picture out of my head of a toddler falling on a concrete surface which has had broken glass mixed in.
It's bad enough scraping the hands and knees on pebbles!

We don't have any toddler in the house let alone grown up children, so it is very remote possibility a toddler would suddenly appear from somewhere, walk into our garden and fall into the concret path or wall injuring himself

 

[conny]

How about future grandchildren or friends/neighbours/relatives popping round with a toddler?
One day you may sell the house to a young couple with/hoping for children.
Glass in concrete is a definite no-no with me.

 

[spader]

How about future grandchildren or friends/neighbours/relatives popping round with a toddler?
One day you may sell the house to a young couple with/hoping for children.
Glass in concrete is a definite no-no with me.

Sure, it was just an idea.
But if the glass bottles were crushed similar to small pebble size, and rounded out getting rid of the sharp bits in some sort of gridning machine, it could work ok inside of the pressed bricks, concrete wall or paths moulded and hardened with cement.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Sure, it was just an idea.
But if the glass bottles were crushed similar to small pebble size, and rounded out getting rid of the sharp bits in some sort of gridning machine, it could work ok inside of the pressed bricks, concrete wall or paths moulded and hardened with cement.

You're overthinking this. An effective grinding machine would produce shards and glass dust (jamjars and wine bottles aren't toughened so don't break into cubes like car windscreens). Scrap glass in concrete or cement would be fine except when sharp edges are left poking out, just right to slice an unsuspecting hand or knee or paw.
Wall of glass- nother matter entirely, not sure about the U value but very decorative.
Unless your shed is a monster you're looking (if you are going mad with 100mm hardcore for a shed) at 2 tons max to do 15 sq m ish. So £120 from B & Q, less from a quarry. That's a days wages from my COVID job ramming sh*t in the hole for Jeff in an Amazon FC, really not worth getting excited about.

 

[robinbanks]

I've a load of plate glass from broken roof windows that I need to get rid of. Recycling centre won't take it in the glass recycling and they charge to take it as inert waste, so I'm planning to run the wacker over it and cast it into concrete infill inside the stone gateposts I've yet to build

Either that, or fill glass jars with it and put it in the collected recycling, but I'm not sure I have the patience. Or the jars!

 

[^woody^]

Just throw it all in the black wheelie and let the bin men take it.

 

[robinbanks]

Yeah but then I'd have to buy more sand