Glass Recycling

Glass is infinitely recyclable, but it must be sorted by type

As not all glass is the same, sorting systems must separate the glass according to glass type and colour and remove foreign materials for recycling to be successful. This is where the optical MSort sorting systems from STEINERT come into play. MSort has been on the global market for more than 25 years and is known for developing and constructing individual solutions for glass recycling.

Different types of glass mean that there are different collection systems, which also differ from country to country. As a result, each glass recycling plant is individually adapted to the local conditions.

Moreover, hollow glass and flat glass are recycled separately due to material-related differences. With hollow glass or bottle glass, it is very important to remove impurities, such as metal and ceramics, from the secondary raw material glass and to ensure colour purity. The same impurities are involved in flat glass, but the process technology is different. Here, for example, PVB plastic films, window frames and broken windows have to be removed and then separated before the glass is added to the flat glass furnace and can then be reused. In both cases, a whole series of sequential process steps are required for cleaning and sorting.

Glass recycling has a long tradition and sets trends for other recycling sectors. Glass recycling has long proven that a circular economy and resource conservation are possible. Not only does melting down used glass require 30% less energy than producing new glass, it also saves up to 90% of raw materials in glass production. This process chain results in considerable CO₂ savings.

As experts, we can reliably support you in the planning and implementation phases with our many years of experience and a competent network of partners worldwide, doing our bit to ensure that our planet’s resources are used carefully.

Feel free to contact us via the Contact Finder on this page or via the general contact form.

The MSort product range has been part of STEINERT GmbH since July 2024 (read the news here). In the coming weeks, further information on MSort sorting systems and applications in glass recycling and other applications will be integrated on this website.