How to properly classify waste glass
The classification system of waste glass is mainly divided into multiple levels according to the source, composition and use, as follows:
1. National Standard Classification (GB/T 36577-2018)
Three-level classification structure
Category code 08: corresponds to the overall category of waste glass.
Medium category: including waste flat glass (0801), waste daily glass (0802), waste special glass (0803).
Subcategory: Subdivided by color and use, for example, waste daily glass is subdivided into container glass (080201) and utensil glass (080202).
Special glass segmentation
Waste photovoltaic glass (code 080304), waste electronic glass, waste optical glass, etc. need to be classified separately
2. Classification of common recycling scenarios
By source
Daily waste glass: such as beer bottles, spice bottles and other container glass, as well as light bulbs and utensil glass.
Industrial waste glass: including building curtain wall glass, automotive laminated glass, photovoltaic substrate glass, etc.
Divided by color and transparency
High transmittance glass (such as transparent wine bottles), ordinary glass, and variegated glass (such as brown and green) need to be sorted and processed.
3. Precautions for sorting and recycling
Front-end sorting technology
Use an optical sorting machine to detect the metal coating or lead content, and manual sorting should follow the principle of "first look at the standard, then look at the color, and then check the quality".
Storage requirements
Store according to pH sensitivity partitions (such as alkaline glass stored separately), and the humidity should be controlled below 5% to avoid value decay.
4. Non-recyclable glass types
Coated glass (requires professional treatment), FRP waste (fiber-reinforced plastic), etc. require special technology recycling.
Waste glass is mainly divided into the following categories according to the sales classification:
Flat glass
Including ordinary flat glass and tempered glass, mainly used for building curtain walls, doors and windows, etc
Daily glass
Covers everyday items such as tableware, water utensils, and wine utensils, as well as glass packaging containers (such as bottles and cans).
Specialty glass
It includes categories with special functions such as laminated glass, bulletproof glass, and optical instrument glass
Construction waste glass
It is mainly waste glass curtain walls, door and window glass and other construction waste
Vehicle glass
Including windshields, window glasses, etc. of vehicles
Medical glass
Refers specifically to glass medicine bottles and infusion bottles that are not contaminated with blood or body fluids
Laboratory instrument glass
Covers laboratory supplies such as beakers, graduated cylinders, and reaction tanks
Craft glass
Such as glass vases, decorations and other non-functional works of art
Leaded glass
It mainly refers to the waste CRT display picture tube
The classification standard is based on the national standard "Technical Specification for Waste Glass Recycling" (GB/T 39196-2020) and local specifications, and adopts an eight-digit coding system, with the first two digits representing the major category (such as 08 corresponding to waste glass), and the subsequent numbers are refined to specific categories.
