Score: 0
get started

how much glass do you think was recycled in the uk in 2019?

In 2017, for every 100 bottles used in the UK about 71 were recycled. But as glass bottles and jars are 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly, the UK hopes that by 2030 at least 90 bottles and jars will be recycled for every 100 used.

Let’s go and find out more!

first we need to pop our glass in the correct place.

Drag and drop the 3 glass products into the right place.

Jar
Green glass bottle
Brown glass bottle

welcome to the recycling plant!

When the glass arrives at the recycling plant it needs to be sorted from the other materials. This is done by hand as well as with special machines that use magnets, metal detectors or computers that use x-rays or infrared.

welcome to the recycling plant!

Once the glass is separated, it needs to be sorted into the 3 main colours. What are the 3 main colours that glass is sorted into?

A

Clear, green and blue

C

Clear, green and brown

B

Black, green and brown

D

Clear, purple and brown

at the glass recycling plant!

Move the laser across all the glass to sort the colours ready for the next stage.

StartEnd
Slide
Slide
Slide

At the glass recycling factory!

The cullet has arrived at a factory! Sofia and Rushil are trying to figure out what happens next. Have a think – who do you agree with?Click on the person you agree with.

agree with sophia
agree with rushil

Lets Investigate!

We are now going to do a little investigation so you can answer our question about if we are recycling enough glass.

We are going to make glass in 3 ways.

  1. One tonne of glass using just raw materials only.
  2. One tonne of glass using a mixture of raw materials and cullet.
  3. One tonne of glass using just only cullet (recycled glass).

Creating a fair test

So we can use our results to help answer our question we need to make sure it is a test fair.Which method would be best for a fair test?

A

Use the same amount of each material in the same furnace.

B

Use different amounts of each material in the same furnace.

C

Use different amounts of each material in different furnaces.

The furnace

Your first step is to measure the amount of energy used for each option.Can you help us push each option into the furnace one at a time?

Cullet
Raw materials
Cullet and raw materials

The furnace

Fab work! From your results, which option do you think is best for the planet?

A

Cullet - 3230 MJ.

B

Raw materials - 4470 MJ.

C

Cullet and raw materials - 3850 MJ.

Generating CO2

Making glass generates CO2, let’s find out if the amount of CO2 released changes depending on what materials are used. Before we find out, make a prediction – which do you think will create the most CO2?

A

Cullet.

B

Raw materials.

C

Mixture or raw materials and cullet.

Generating CO2

We have collected the CO2 from when you just melted the materials.
Press the buttons to fill the balloons to see how much CO2 was generated.

Balloon
CO2 Tank
Scale In
Cullet
inflate balloon
Balloon
CO2 Tank
Scale In
Raw materials & cullet
inflate balloon
Balloon
CO2 Tank
Scale In
Raw materials
inflate balloon

Choosing the right chart

Which graph would you use to share your results about the
CO2 emissions?

A Chart A select chart A
B Chart B select chart B
C Chart C select chart C

why use recycled cullet?

There are several reasons why factories use recycled cullet.Decide if the statements are true or false.

Using recycled cullet means less raw materials such as sand are needed.
True
False
CO2 emissions are reduced when factories use recycled cullet.
True
False
It takes less energy to melt cullet than raw materials.
True
False

after the furnace

We now have molten glass. The next steps is for it to be chopped into smaller pieces which are called gobs. Each gob makes a single bottle or jar. Right, it is time to shape the gobs. It only takes 5 seconds to do this!Can you set the timer for us?

00

are the bottles ready?

The final 2 stages are to inspect and package the bottles.Check the bottles with the magnifying glass to make sure they are ready for filling.

Mag
Bottles Bottles Bottles Bottles
Box

saving energy

saving energy

How much energy do you think is saved when you
recycle a single glass bottle?

A

Enough energy to have a TV on for 5 minutes.

C

Enough energy to send a message on a phone.

B

Enough energy to charge
your phone at least 6 times.

D

Enough energy to play on a tablet for 10 minutes.

you scored /21 points! well done.

Great work on learning about recycling glass.
You are a true Glass Guardian!

Helper