The Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has urged the public to increase its recycling of glass containers.
Carbon emissions can be reduced by between 47% and 85% if glass bottles, are recycled for use in the production of containers, EPA officials said, citing studies they had carried out.
For example, making a container that is 50% comprised of recycled material from a 600 milliliter glass container would produce 0.4 kilograms less CO2 emissions than if it were made from 100% new material, according to the EPA's Recycling Fund Management Board.
The EPA urged the public to step up its recycling of containers and to buy products made from recycled materials.
In 2012, a total of 220,000 metric tons of glass containers were collected in Taiwan for recycling, according to the EPA.
If all that recycled glass were used to make new bottles, the level of CO2 emissions would be about 370,000 metric tons less than if new materials were used, which is 1,000 times more than the volume of emissions absorbed annually by Daan Forest Park in Taipei, the EPA said.
The public park is spread over 26 hectares and absorbs an estimated 370 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.
