Empty the contents of the glass bottle and rinse the inside to remove any residue.
Soak the glass bottle in warm, soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes to help loosen and remove any labels that are on the bottle. If the bottle does not have a cap or cork to keep it closed, allow the inside of the bottle to dry out overnight before you attempt to break it.
Open several newspapers and layer them on the flat surface of the work area where you will break the bottle.
Place the bottle inside a double-layer of plastic grocery bags. If you wish to see the glass as you break it, you may wish to use a gallon-sized clear storage bag instead.
Don protective gloves and safety glasses. Even though the bottle is inside a protective bag, shards of glass may still escape.
Use a hammer to break the bottle into chunks. Do not overstrike with the first hammering blow. Start with larger chunks and break them down to the sizes that you desire.