Glass waste is first unloaded and stored according to its origin (flat/glass, industrial or household). In this way, it can be used and recycled more easily.

The first stages of the recycling process are mainly mechanical:

The glass will be screened and crushed to obtain the desired size and granulometry (<50mm).

Operations to separate metallic and non-magnetic bodies will then follow.

The glass may be dried to facilitate the optical treatments downstream.

Then, steps are taken to separate organic bodies (paper, labels, caps, plastic films,...).

Finally, the glass is opticallly sorted. Each piece of glass is inspected for transparency and colour. Unwanted pieces are removed by compressed air.

Some other contaminants such as leaded glass (crystal) and heat-resistant glass are also optically separated by means of ultraviolet light.

Finally, the glass undergoes quality control and is ready to be shipped to glass customers who will melt it again to make new glass products.