Similarly, used glass undergoes complete transformation. The crushed material travels atop conveyor belts and is cleaned of plastic, ceramic material and metal. The cullet is poured into a melter which is basically a 2,840 degree furnace holding 350 tons of molten glass. The molten glass is drained through holes in the bottom of the melter where it is snipped into globs by large sheers. The globs of molten glass zip down chutes into metal molds.
Air is blasted into the glob, pressing the molten against the sides of the mold.
When the mold is opened, a red hot bottle or jar is released onto a conveyor belt and enters a cooling machine called the annealing lehr. Each bottle is checked for cracks, width and strength by a series of computers and humans. Anchor Glass produces 13,000 glass containers every day. About half of the material in the final product is recycled. The University's recycling habits extend to the front end of the process as well.