20 million cars). Minimize exposure to heavy metals and other potentially toxic components in concrete – especially during the renovation and demolition of buildings. Challenges faced in the optimization of glass recycling. Despite all the improvement in the waste and recovery processes there are still some challenges that need work on it: Lack of incentive to recycle when inconvenient; opt-in and subscription models lead to low participation Rising material recovery facility fees and pressure from the waste management industry have caused some municipalities to remove glass from curbside recycling The lack of recycling mandates and high levels of contamination cause a significant portion of materials to be disposed of in landfills. Low landfill tip fees for many MRFs (material recovery facilities) incentivize sending glass to the landfill. The lack of capacity in certain areas hinders the ability to meet the market demand and reduces the incentive to invest in materials recovery facilities. In some regions, strong demand for cullet from other end markets reduces potential supply for glass containers. The distance between the sources of and markets for cullet requires long-haul shipping. Virgin materials are often cheaper than cullet, sometimes by as much as 20%. See also Baler Castlemaine Tooheys Ltd v South Australia; Container-deposit legislation Glass crusher Reuse of bottles Waste management References External links "Plant Chops Old Bottles For New", August 1949, Popular Science article on the basics of glass recycling Glass chemistry Recycling Recycling by material Glass production