Our local recycling center accepts large sheets of glass. That being said, I have tended to hold onto my old sheets to use in a pinch or give to a friend in need.

I put them in a large heavy duty garbage bag, then tap the corner with a hammer or anything really. It take very little to shatter a piece of tempered glass by taping on the edge.

Then the small but heavy bag of glass goes in the recycling can.

The old glass is tempered or plated?

Bruce

Unless the tempered glass has a logo (bug) etched onto it, probably won't know until you break it. Most tempered pinball glass is not identified.

I probably would hang onto it. You may pick-up a game missing a glass or someone you know breaks theirs and you have a spare to give them.

It's pretty easy to tell by tapping on the glass. I plan to offer my old plated pinball glass free on craigslist. (Bought a replacement tempered glass locally with no mark on it)

Bruce

Believe me, as soon as you get rid of the old glass, you'll need it. Wonder how I know that.

You can probably find someone local that would be glad to take if off your hands unless it is damaged to the point of being unusable.

More than once I have been glad to have an old sheet of glass in the garage....

Keep it!

Glass blowing shops will take it if one is near you, they melt it down and use it. Colleges near you might have a class with glass blowing offered.

You'd be surprised how many people want that glass if it's in anything but absolutely atrocious condition. Go here and RGP and see if anybody wants to come get it for free.

If it's tempered I'd definitely keep it but if it's plated then I'd get rid of it because it's dangerous. (that's why I plan to get rid of the plated glass that was in my pinball machine)

Bruce

Give the kids some safety glasses and a hammer. Fun afternoon!

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I'd throw it in a dumpster.

Like others have said, if it is plate glass(not tempered) pitch it.

If it is tempered there are residual uses/interest in it in the pinball community.

Our local trash dump lets you just throw the old sheets in the big dumpster. Makes a great explosion when it hits.

If it's tempered, then keep it out of the dumpster. It's easy to check. I found a test on websites dedicated to home aquariums. Some aquarium owners modify them by drilling holes in the glass so they can add a sump pump. If their tank is made of tempered glass and they try to drill it, then it will shatter. So, they developed a tempered glass test.

It's pretty simple. I took my laptop from work home, found a web page that was all blue, held the screen behind the glass, put on some polarized glasses (I used the 3D glasses they give you at the movie theater), and looked through the glass at the blue screen. If you see black lines or a darkened smudge in the glass, then it's tempered. Seeing no lines means plate glass, and you can pitch it.

Try the test on your side car windows to see the lines.

I save mine for when guys come out here to shoot. We prop it up on top of some pallets and fire away.

I do the exact same thing, but drop the first "smasher" bag into another bag to make sure all the tiny pieces stay where they belong. I tried to just "put 2 sheets out to the curb" a while back ... got back that evening after work and saw a thousand pieces of tempered glass in the road outside my driveway. I'm guessing the guy grabbed the sheets and tossed them into the open back of the truck and then got a shower as they exploded both into and out of the truck.

Took me over an hour to clean it up. Never again!

So, is it like, almost white with scratches and stains? if so, ok, go ahead and smash it like you are in a steroid rage, if its just some minor ones here and there, keep it since there is always need for PF glasses.

List it on Craigslist for the crafters to use. I have several buckets of broken glass pieces (thanks mike) to use in sculptures and mosaics. If you can leave it in 1 piece they can put tape on one side before breaking to use the crackle effect in art projects. Makes great dragonfly wings,

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Bag O'Glass was good, but their best product was the invisible pedestrian Halloween costume.