Using Beer Bottles from a Recycling Compost

[bootlessxfly]

I was dropping off some boxes at my local recycling compost and notice a incredibly large pile of amber bottles. Some of these where of course broken, but a lot of them where intact. I was thinking about grabbing a large number of bottles and then cleaning and sanitizing them. I just ordered 1lb of PBW and 8 oz. of star san so I would not think that cleaning the bottles would be a problem. I have a couple of concerns/questions:

1) Would a good soaking in PBW be enough to clean bottles that came from a recycling "Dump."

2) I was planning on looking at every bottle in a light to see if there where any cracks. Do you think I would need to be careful of weakened glass strength of some sort. If so, is there a way to test for this.

I know this question my seem silly, but I just wanna hear other peoples thoughts/experiences with similar matters. I feel like this could turn into a very cheap way to get bottles.

Thanks for any input.

 

[flars]

Recycling centers can be a good place to pick up bottles. Most of them may be twist off cap bottles though. Some of these can be recapped, but never reliably. A light is a good way to check for cracks and how much gunk is inside the bottle. If a bottle is not cracked or chipped, I consider them ready to hold carbonation pressure.
A long soak in a PBW solution can remove labels and most gunk. A bottle brush may be necessary on some bottles. Chucking the bottle brush in a battery powered drill can save a lot of labor.
Once bottles are clean, store them so they dry and stay clean. Use the Starsan solution just before bottling.

 

[wilserbrewer]

They are just bottles no matter the source. If you need them, clean sanitize and fill.

Ok clean well...it's glass, it doesn't go stale.


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[Totes]

What's your time worth?

Might be in your best interest to buy a case or 3 of your favorite local beer, and your bottles the easy way.

 

[RM-MN]

What's your time worth?

Might be in your best interest to buy a case or 3 of your favorite local beer, and your bottles the easy way.

I agree. Bottles are so reuseable that your extended cost for buying them is very low. It's incredible what people will put into empty beer bottles too so that cleaning them becomes nearly impossible. If you do collect the bottles make sure that they are not the screw off top bottles and be prepared to sort out the mostly clean ones to use and return the ones that have assorted gunk in them.