In the USA are glass bottles (beer, soft drinks) refilled or melted down to make new bottles?!
In the USA are glass bottles (beer, soft drinks) refilled or melted down to make new bottles?
Answers:
Currently, US manufacturers make very few returnable, refillable bottles. The vast majority that are returned are returned for recycling. They are melted down and used to make other glass products, often bottles, but could be in most any glass products. The largest number of glass bottles that are washed and re-used are those from small dairies.
Regarding the "bumps" at the base of the bottles: these identify information such as production line and cavity number on the glass forming machines. They don't tell how often a bottle has been recycled. The only indication of how often a bottle has been washed and refilled is the amount of scratching and etching (caused by the caustic wash) on the surface of the bottle.