Can plate glass be recycled?

It can, but it’s not. Architectural glass cannot be recycled curbside mostly due to varying melting points. It would be considered a contaminant. Also anything broken is unsafe and not accepted. Flat glass can’t be processed at standard regional recycling centers. A specialized facility is required and they are not common. Specialized facilities can accept most architectural glass, including insulated glass that must have spacers removed, laminated glass and coated glass as impurities will burn off in the float oven. However fire-rated glass, ceramic glass and anything contaminated with metals can’t be processed with plate glass.

As of this writing there is no accurate resource of where these specialized facilities are located or how contractors and other consumers can participate. We have not been able to identify a local recycler.

As an end consumer, your best bet is to try and reuse it. One of the the best reuses for it is to polish it into decorative sea glass. Crushed glass also has potential as backfill. We are not aware of any local contractors using it or the implications regarding building code. It is most likely to be used as backfill in projects like road construction. We don’t recommend it for residential use. People do it. When digging around an older home if you encounter a bunch of broken glass it is because someone used it as backfill at one time.