Can Glass be Considered Eco Friendly?
If you are looking for eco friendly solutions for your home you really have to think about certain products and do a little research to find out if they are harmful to the environment or if they have negative effects on the people who use them. Glass is one of the products you might think at first is not eco friendly because it does not break down in the environment. But there is more to consider than just that fact.
Glass is durable
For a start, glass products can last for many years – unless they get broken, of course. However, while some glass products may break easily, products where the glass is really thick, or that are made of toughened glass do not break easily, or at all in some cases, even if they were dropped. Pool fencing panels made from toughened glass are just one example.
Glass can be recycled
Another consideration is that glass can be recycled and when it is, the heat to melt it down does not need to be anywhere near as high a temperature as in the process that converted sand into glass in the first place. These days a lot of glass is recycled in this way and into the future we will see an even higher percentage as collection becomes more sophisticated. The problem is that the different colours of glass need to be separated on collection and not many councils offer this facility at the present. In the future as recycling becomes more businesslike, bins for different coloured glass will be more readily available.
Glass enhances our lifestyle
What would we do without windows to let in the natural daylight and warmth of the sun? Walls, doors and skylights all do great jobs of letting in light to our homes and commercial buildings, making us healthier and happier. Living in dim rooms with not enough light causes many people to become depressed. Glass can prevent this. In addition, solar panels are made of glass and save the environment a great deal with the clean energy they offer.
Glass is inert
Glass is an inert substance that does not mix any impurities with the substances that are contained in it, making glass bottles and containers ideal for holding medications and food. Keeping our food in glass is a healthy choice. Unlike plastic that tends to leach impurities into the product if kept in it for several years, glass can be used for many years without any harm coming to the substance in it.
So all this added to the fact that the sand it is made from is in plentiful supply leads to the conclusion that glass is, in fact, environmentally friendly. So when you plan your home with lots of glass you know you are choosing an environmentally friendly option.