What is your first recycling memory?  For many people it is the experience of taking empty bottles and jars down to the supermarket car park, approaching the 'bottle bank' and hoping that it will be fairly empty.  The aim is to experience that satisfying sound of glass safely smashing to splinters as an empty jar or bottle lands inside.  And the recycling habit is born!

The great thing about glass is that it can be recycled over and over again and does not lose any of its strength or quality.  That empty wine bottle or pickle jar you send for recycling will travel with thousands of others to a specialist processing plant.  There it will first be crushed into small pieces and any labels, plastic lids and other non-glass attachments will be removed.  Then the glass pieces will be melted down and ALL the elements will be used for making new jars and bottles.  Nothing is wasted.  So your jam jar will have a new life, perhaps as a medicine bottle next time and after that, a fizzy drink bottle, and after that…..  it can go on for ever.

On the other hand, any glass which ends up in general rubbish and goes to landfill sites, will still be there in thousands of years' time.  The ancient Egyptians made beautiful jewellery out of glass and it is still found looking as good as new, 5,000 years later.  While we might want to preserve some of our modern glass art and jewellery for future generations to enjoy, the same cannot be said for the 500 or so glass food and drink containers used by the average family each year.

Of course, nowadays, recycling glass is easy and you don't even have to drive to the supermarket to achieve a recycling buzz.  You have the option of placing your clean, empty jars and bottles into your black re-cycling bin.  Mid Devon Council will then collect them in their fortnightly, kerbside rounds.  Perhaps this is not the same as having a 'smashing' time - but the feelgood factor of knowing that you are helping to save a valuable resource is almost as good!