Inside Colorado’s First Bottle-to-Bottle Glass Recycling Plant
Hover over each number to see all the steps of the glass recycling process.

Incoming Waste Glass Storage

• Almost all comes from single stream recycling
• Some source-separated and window glass
Infeed Hopper
• Holds 5 tons
• Feeds at an average of 15 tons per hour
• Feeder speed automatically adjusts
Overbelt Magnet

• Pulls out ferrous metals
• Ejects into collection bin
• All collected metals are sent out for recycling
Large Contamination Removal

• Examples include cardboard, wood, plastic lids, etc
Roll Crusher

• Reduces larger glass items to a size that can be optically sorted
• Examples include whole bottles and bottoms of Champagne bottles
Eddy Current Separator

• Examples include aluminum cans, copper wire, stainless steel
• All ejected items are collected and sent for recycling
Breezer

• Forced air flows against the stream to remove light fraction fiber contamination
• Examples include shredded paper, soda straws, and paper labels
Long Parts Separator

• Common examples include pens, pencils, toothbrushes, and plastic cutlery
Primary Dryer

• Sugars and bacteria are eliminated, paper labels are loosened, and other fibers are fluffed up for easier removal
• Residue floats to the top and is sucked out via vacuum
De-labeler

• Glass particles are compressed together and rubbed against each other, abrading the labels while minimizing breakage
Vibratory Splitter

• This splitter separates sortable particles (+3/8”) from unsortable particles (-3/8”)
Optical Sorters


• We use the most advanced sorting technology available
• 10 Clarity brand sorters remove contamination and sort glass by color down to 3/8”
• Clarity sorters use optical sensors and compressed air jets to detect and separate particles
• Two primary sorters load- balance the flow of glass
Finished Product Storage (Amber, Green, Flint)

• Can be introduced directly into the furnaces for true bottle-to-bottle recycling!
Vibratory Splitter: Mediums/Fines

• Medium sized particles (less than 3/8”) are separated from Fine particles (less than 1/8”)
• Mediums are further decontaminated for use in bottle manufacturing
• Fines are processed and used as industrial abrasives, water filter media, or in fiberglass insulation
Optical Contamination Removal (Mediums)

• These Clarity sorters cannot sort by color, but can sort contamination out, down to 1/8”
• This also includes any metals that managed to survive the ferrous magnets and the Eddy Current Separator
Fines Infeed Hopper

• This “fines” processing stage starts with this infeed hopper
Primary Rotary Screen

• Screens can be quickly changed to produce different size grades for different customers
• For example, fiberglass manufacturing requires all particles to be 12 mesh or smaller
Vertical Shaft Impact Crusher

• A rotor crushes large pieces into sand-sized particles
• Particles recirculate until they fit through the screen
Secondary Rotary Screen

• Particles that are small enough to pass through the primary screen are then processed through the secondary screen
• Particles are separated into different size grades, depending on the future use. Common size grades include:
– 12 mesh to 20 mesh
– 20 mesh to 40 mesh
– 40 mesh to 70 mesh
– 70 mesh and smaller
Supersack Filling Station for Fines

• The different size grades are collected in large, pallet-sized woven bags, known as “supersacks”
• Once full, each supersack is tagged with an inventory label, indicating size grade, production date, weight, and lot number
• A full supersack typically weighs about 3,000 lbs
Bagging Machine for Fines

• This bagging machine, known as a “valve packer,” uses compressed air to transfer market-ready fines from supersacks into 50 lb paper bags
• Bags are stacked on pallets using a rotating loader to prevent injury
Cyclone

• Solid contaminants extracted from the fast-moving air drop into a waste bin
Dust Collectors

• The dust collectors use hundreds of vertically-oriented sock filters to separate this fine dust from the vacuum air
• The dust is then returned to the plant, where it is bagged and sold