A reality check on recycled glass from my studio mishaps

I hear many say recycled glass is the eco choice. But in my work, it often causes problems. For example, melting old jars brought in stuff that caused bubbles and cracks. The extra time and fuel to handle it might not lower carbon much. I think we should focus on cutting gas burn or reusing our own scraps. These steps help more without ruining our art. How do you mix green aims with good work in your shop?

3 comments

3 Comments

averyflores1mo ago

So how many times have you tried to be eco-friendly and it just blew up in your face? Lol, recycled glass is the hero we don't need, turning perfect pieces into Swiss cheese with all those bubbles and cracks. I've had similar messes where the extra work to clean and melt it down probably used more gas than it saved. Tbh, cutting back on fuel and reusing your own scraps makes way more sense. It's like, why import problems when you can fix what's in your own shop? That balance is key, doing green stuff that doesn't wreck your art.

brown.david1mo ago

Ugh, totally feel you on that. I tried making beads from some salvaged window glass last month and the batch was just full of so many stress fractures it looked like a spiderweb. Ended up with a pile of janky, unsellable pieces because the base material was too unpredictable.

oliviak731mo ago

Tried melting down some vintage perfume bottles for a project last year, and every single piece developed hairline cracks after cooling. Felt like the glass was just holding a grudge from its past life. @brown.david, I totally get that spiderweb vibe, mine ended up looking like I'd baked a batch of confused cookies. Learned my lesson about playing chemist with unknown glass types.