How I Re-Purpose Old Glass Jars and More Than You Asked For
Chào bạn!
Hope you're well and thriving as the second month of 2020 is coming to an end. Are you as excited as I am to experience a leap year? Leap years occur every four years, but this time around, I feel more energy and awareness than before. How about you?
The feelings of anticipation to an extra day wherein I get to accomplish the things I want to do or even another opportunity to spend time with loved ones is enough to rev my engine. Indeed, our time here isn't guaranteed nor infinite as the latest tragedies have reminded us dearly (may they rest in power). Moreover, my biological father was recently diagnosed with colon cancer, and while we were never really close and communicative, this prompted a change in our relationship.
It's never too late to change, until it's too late to change. What're some things you're feeling compelled to do as of late? What's stopping you from taking action?
🎤🎵 Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes 🎵🎤
Speaking of changes, the reason why I'm writing today is because I wanted to share a new-old thing I'm doing around our house: re-purposing old glassware. Ever since I learned that the process of glass bottles and jars take an enormous amount of energy and resources to make, I've been re-thinking my actions every time we finish a jar of instant coffee, pickles, and other miscellaneous foods that come packaged in these clear containers.
Instead of tossing them directly into the recycling bin (and then dropping them off at my mom's hehe), we wash and dry them and put them aside in the pantry until I think of a good use for them. I mean, they can be used to store anything!
In my pantry, I've stored items such as:
- beans + → chickpeas, pinto, breadcrumbs
- baking ingredients → baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips
- culinary starches and flours →rice flour, tapioca flour, cornstarch
I have an abundance of washi tape laying around, and finally I'm able to put them to good use. Not only are they're great for labels, they add a special touch to letters and stationary art.
I love learning about how stuff is made, but I'll spare you the technical history and production (stuff my husband finds boring). However, if you're keen on learning about it, I recommend you visit this page where it explains how glass is considered an amorphous solid meaning it doesn't have a definite geometric or crystalline shape. Cool right?
If you didn't know already, glass manufacturing is largely fueled by natural gas, which is derived from fossil fuel formed by plant matter dating back to millions of years.
It's considered to be a non-renewable resource. Indeed, akin to our time spent on this precious earth, natural gas is bound to run out at some point. What would that world look like I wonder?
One possible solution for this dilemma is to reduce my purchases of glass-filled items i.e., buy the boxed version instead of the glass. I don't buy pasta sauces anymore (I've had my fill of pasta for a while), and even if I did want to make a tomato sauce (e.g., shakshuka), I know enough now to make a good one from scratch using real, organic ingredients when possible.
I say when possible, because sometimes buying organic ingredients isn't feasible for a lot of people depending on their circumstances.
Another thing I can do is if I've exhausted all re-purposing options, or maybe it's not glass that's conducive to storing (plastic caps, beer bottles, etc.,) I can add it to the appropriate recycling bin so that it can be transformed into other jars or simply recycled properly. Just make sure it's not broken, because broken glass can't be recycled.
Recycle Nation does a great job of explaining the benefits for recycling glass, as well as providing many ideas and external links to baking uses (have you ever tried making a no-bake mini cheesecake?). Essentially, new glass is made up of 70% cullet (small crushed pieces of recycled glass), which means less demand for mining new materials for new glassware.
This creates a ripple effect wherein:
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| So pleased with how they turned out! |
Glass Is Neither Solid nor Liquid: Does It Even Matter?
Temperatures of at least 3090℉ (1700℃) transform liquid sand (silicon dioxide) into the humble glass jars that we know. The molecular makeup of glass then becomes neither solid nor liquid, but also both. How can that be?I love learning about how stuff is made, but I'll spare you the technical history and production (stuff my husband finds boring). However, if you're keen on learning about it, I recommend you visit this page where it explains how glass is considered an amorphous solid meaning it doesn't have a definite geometric or crystalline shape. Cool right?
If you didn't know already, glass manufacturing is largely fueled by natural gas, which is derived from fossil fuel formed by plant matter dating back to millions of years.
It's considered to be a non-renewable resource. Indeed, akin to our time spent on this precious earth, natural gas is bound to run out at some point. What would that world look like I wonder?
Between a Glass Jar and a Hard Place
Something that just popped into my mind as I'm typing this is, shouldn't I recycle these jars so that they can be remade into new glass jars? On one hand, I'm reducing the amount of glass in recycling landfills, but on the other hand, I might be contributing to the demand of new glass containers since I'm not recycling my old ones. Thereby, increasing the mining demands for new glassware.One possible solution for this dilemma is to reduce my purchases of glass-filled items i.e., buy the boxed version instead of the glass. I don't buy pasta sauces anymore (I've had my fill of pasta for a while), and even if I did want to make a tomato sauce (e.g., shakshuka), I know enough now to make a good one from scratch using real, organic ingredients when possible.
I say when possible, because sometimes buying organic ingredients isn't feasible for a lot of people depending on their circumstances.
Another thing I can do is if I've exhausted all re-purposing options, or maybe it's not glass that's conducive to storing (plastic caps, beer bottles, etc.,) I can add it to the appropriate recycling bin so that it can be transformed into other jars or simply recycled properly. Just make sure it's not broken, because broken glass can't be recycled.
Recycle Nation does a great job of explaining the benefits for recycling glass, as well as providing many ideas and external links to baking uses (have you ever tried making a no-bake mini cheesecake?). Essentially, new glass is made up of 70% cullet (small crushed pieces of recycled glass), which means less demand for mining new materials for new glassware.
This creates a ripple effect wherein:
- less energy is used to mold glass (cullet melts at a lower temperature)
- lives of furnaces are lengthened (reduces number of times furnaces need to be replaced)
- and carbon emissions are reduced (less air pollution and climate warming)
Glass (Jar) Half-Empty or Half-Full?
It's easy to feel emotionally drained and paralyzed when thinking about the environment and how humans have impacted it.
To mitigate feelings of hopelessness (which I was just experiencing a few days ago with a friend, and lamenting last week to my sisters), remember that we are all doing the best we can with what we have.
To sum, you can always start by making a conscious effort to shift your buying habits.
After all, "The most powerful moment a person can experience is when they make a conscious choice." -Dr. Nicole LaPera AKA theholisticpsychologist.
Keep empowering yourself by choosing to be aware. Talk things out with your friends, family, and anyone who'll listen. They don't have to agree with you, but hopefully they'll be able to see your side.
What're some things you do regarding glass containers? Do you recycle it or re-purpose them? Show off your DIY projects and ideas! Let's get geeky-organizational together. 😄
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