How to Dispose of Old Window Glass

Window glass generally should not be recycled along with glass bottles and jars. As with heat-resistant ovenware, drinking glasses and visionware, window glass has been treated during manufacturing. Coatings that affect fragility and heat- and UV-transfer can weaken recycled glass, causing bubbles and cracks. Disposing of old windows can incur cost, whether a window replacement company charges you to haul them off or a sanitation company charges you for a dumpster. A few independent options are available that won’t cost anything and might qualify as recycling.

Instructions

• 1

  Contact local artists, especially those who work in glassware. Some will willingly take the glass off your hands and use it into their projects.

• 2

  Donate the glass to Habitat for Humanity, if the glass is still in the windows. Habitat for Humanity has stores that sell building material, both new and used, to raise money for their house-building projects. Check your local chapter’s site to see if they have the infrastructure to accept it.

• 3

  Dispose of any broken window glass that artists don’t want by securely wrapping it in several layers of newspaper for the safety of sanitation workers during handling. Then dispose it with your regular garbage. Be sure to handle any broken glass with thick leather gloves.