Have you ever smashed your glass cup on the floor mistakenly? You’re not alone! Most of us have had such experiences at some point in our lives.
When glass hits the floor and shatters, it’s not its price tag that worries people but the sharp broken bottles that pose a great risk. Anyone that steps on a broken bottle will likely sustain injuries, which could be very serious.
So, the best thing to do when you have broken glasses lying around is to get them to the floor. Do this as quickly as possible. And dispose of the pieces appropriately.
Now, what would happen if the glass mistakenly fell into your toilet? Is flushing glass a good or bad idea?
Continue reading to know more about this topic!
Read: Can You Flush Cereals Down the Toilet? (And Garbage Disposal?)
Is It Okay If Glass Goes Down the Drain?
No, it’s not okay. So, please, make sure you don’t flush glass down your toilet. Why? By flushing glass, you’re messing with your plumbing. The shards of glass happen to be tiny. But that doesn’t make them any lighter. When you put broken glass in the toilet, its pieces would sink to the bottom of the tank. And that’s not all.
It’s also possible that a portion of the glass can lodge into your plumbing, causing the blockage.
Having shards of glass in the drain won’t endanger your septic system. Nevertheless, it would be best if you never allowed pieces of glass to get to your drain.
You can only flush things that float. Things like glass can’t float because they are heavy. They can only sink.
Here are several reasons why you should never allow shards of glass to go down your drain.
1. It could trap hair and other debris
If you’re someone that prefers flushing your hair down the toilet, never allow broken glass that fell into your drain to remain there. Why? The shards of glass could trap the hair when you flush.
Before you know it, the drain would get clogged. Hair can build up in the drain and clog the toilet. As a result, your plumbing would be messed up.
2. High cost of hiring a plumber
Have you ever contacted a plumber to fix a clogged drain or plumbing issue? Well, if you haven’t, thank your stars. Plumbers charge exorbitant fees, and you can’t blame them.
Leaving shards of glass in the drain can cause a clog. Over time, the issue could become complicated.
3. Shards of glass can be challenging to remove
If you’re hiring a professional plumber, you’ll have those shards of glass in your drain taken off within a twinkling of an eye.
However, because of the money involved, most people would prefer removing the glasses from the drain themselves.
To do this, one needs to remove the T-trap. But before you get on with this, create time to watch a couple of related videos.
A Handy Tip: When you successfully loosen the T-trap and evacuate the shards of glass, take proper care when tightening the nut. The thread should be clean, and please, make sure you don’t over-tighten the nut.
When you finish tightening the nut, fill the sink with water, then open the drain. You need to ensure the T-trap isn’t leaving.
How can you find out whether the T-trap is leaking or not? Place a dry bowl and towel underneath. If the towel doesn’t get wet the following day, you’re good to go.
What Happens If You Flush Glass Down The Toilet?
Some things happen when we least expect them to. You could be brushing your teeth, and your glass cup could mistakenly fall into the toilet, shattering in shards.
When this happens, most people get apprehensive. But don’t beat yourself up. It happened by mistake. Furthermore, worrying won’t help you remove the shards of glass from the drain. You have to do it yourself or find a professional plumber.
However, a few things can happen when you flush glass down the toilet.
1. The glass could get washed away
In the best-case scenario, which everybody in this dilemma would want, the shards of glass could be washed away when you flush. As such, you won’t have any reason to trouble your T-trap. No one enjoys touching the T-trap, anyway.
If the amount of water produced when you turn the trip handle isn’t enough to remove the shards of glass, fill a bucket with water and empty it in the toilet. This should get the job done.
2. Drain or sewer line blockage
Though highly unlikely to happen immediately, you can’t rule out the possibility of a drain or sewer line blockage.
The shards of glass might trap debris and hair in the drain. And over time, the piece of hair could build up and cause a blockage.
A large piece of broken glass can also cause a problem with your plumbing. It could block your drain, making it challenging to flush things down the toilet.
When this happens, you can either hire a plumber or loosen the T-trap yourself to remove the large piece of bottle stuck there.
3. Shards of glass could remain in the drain
Some pieces of glass could stay in the drain after flushing. Why? Glass doesn’t float in water, which explains why flushing them is hard. Items that are buoyant enough and can float find it easy to get past the drain when flushed.
So, expect some of the glass to sink in place, probably, in your T-trap.
Can You Put Broken Glass in the Garbage Disposal?
Many experts argue that it’s possible to sharpen a garbage disposal grinder with broken glass. But that’s their thought anyway. The truth is, that isn’t a wise thing to do.
So, can you put broken glass in your garbage disposal? The answer is a big No! You can’t even put shrimp shells in the garbage disposal, let alone glass. By the way, glass is more rigid. Thus, there’s no way the garbage disposal grinder can shred to piece and drain the glass away.
When you put glass in the garbage disposal, here’s what happens—the garbage disposal jams. When you turn the machine on, what you’ll hear is a humming sound. And what’s more, the grinder won’t even turn or shred the glass into pieces.
You may have to remove each shard of glass in the machine. Otherwise, it won’t grind your food waste as it uses to.
With that said, it is unacceptable to put broken glass in the garbage disposal. It can destroy your machine.
How Can You Safely Dispose of Broken Glass?
If your glass got broken mistakenly, don’t start there and start apportioning blames. Find a way to get the shards of glass off the floor. Leaving broken glass on the floor is dangerous. You can harm others living in the apartment.
So, whether it’s broken or whole glass, ensure you dispose of them properly. Let’s discuss how to dispose of broken glass.
Recycle the glasses
Yes, you can recycle the glass. Companies are using broken glasses to make diverse building materials and asphalt. It would help if you also targeted local artists. Who knows, you might have the broken glasses they need to create the next masterpiece.
Just devote time to do some calling around to know where to send the broken glass you have managed to gather and get off the floor.
A Handy Tip: The type of broken glass you have will determine if it will be suitable for recycling or not. Treated glasses such as porcelain, window glasses, and Pyrex aren’t recyclable. So, if you have such glasses, gently throw the pieces you have managed to gather in a curbside bin.
Read: Can You Put Orange Peels in the Garbage Disposal?
Dumb broken glass in the garbage
Don’t just gather broken glass and dump them in the trash. If you do, you’re putting the sanitation worker and others around at tremendous risk. The first thing you have to do is crush the glass to pieces before emptying it into the garbage.
To crush the broken glass to piece, wrap them in a towel or heavy cloth. With a safety glass on, use a hammer to smash the glasses in the towel or cloth into shreds. Pack the broken glasses in a shoebox, then duct-tape it.
Now that you have hammered and duct-taped the box shut, it’s time to place it in the garage. But before you do this, label the glass “caution – broken glass” and do it a night before the garbage man would come around.
Conclusion
Can you flush the glass down the toilet? Well, the obvious answer is no. It can cause a blockage of your drain or sewer line. So, please don’t do it.
Additionally, if a glass or mug falls into your toilet mistakenly, don’t flush and assume the shards of glass have left your drain. It could be trapped in your T-trap or somewhere along the pipe.
Anything is possible. The broken glass may also trap hair, which, over time, can block your sewer line. You surely don’t want this, so never flush glasses down the toilet. And as for broken glasses, make sure you dispose of them neatly. Don’t put other people around at high risk by exposing or discarding the broken glass inappropriately.