How to Recycle Irish Glass
Irish glass (also called Irish crystal) came to Ireland via the Celts, who used it to create beads and other jewelry. An Englishman named George Ravenscroft would be the first to discover that by adding lead oxide to the combination of materials that became glass, the resulting product would look good, but be soft enough to carve. Irish glassmakers perfected this technique, creating Irish crystal that was up to 33 percent lead. Unfortunately, because of this high lead content, Irish glass cannot be recycled at a recycling plant without contaminating the rest of the glass. This means you have to be a little more creative when recycling Irish glass.
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Things You'll Need
- Tin can
- Ribbon or fishing line
- Hammer
- Nail
- Glue
- Mosaic surface
- Leather gloves
Instructions
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Create a broken glass sun catcher using two pieces of Irish glass. Glue the two pieces back to back, putting either a ribbon or a fishing line in between. Use a hammer and a nail to punch small holes into the top of a tin can (the top should be separated from the body of the tin can). Run the fishing line or ribbon that holds the broken glass through the top and tie it, allowing the broken pieces of Irish glass to dangle in the sun, with the tin can top hanging over the broken glass like a roof. For the best result, set this up in front of a sunny window.
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2
Give Irish glassware that isn't broken to friends and neighbors, or donate it to the local church. Another option would be to sell the glassware on eBay, at a garage sale, or at a pawn shop.
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3
Use pieces of broken Irish glass to create a mosaic. Start by drawing something simple on a mosaic surface. Carefully glue the bits of broken glass to the surface, one piece at a time. Make sure you wear a pair of leather gloves so that you don't cut yourself. Allow the glue to cure for 24 hours, then grout between your pieces of Irish glass with regular tile grout (if desired).
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Donate Irish glass to glass artists similar to Bottled Up Designs. Glass artists take broken pieces of glass and use special equipment and high temperatures to melt and mold the glass into something else.
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