The Challenge for Glass Recycling

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The Challenge for Glass Recycling
Michael Bennett Representing British Glass
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British Glass

• British Glass is a Materials Organisation
  representing the interests of all those involved
  in the manufacture or manipulation of glass for
  the construction, automotive, fibre, scientific,
  domestic and packaging markets

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British Glass

• The seven main container manufacturers are all
  members
• Allied Glass
• Beatson Clark
• Quinn
• Redfearn Glass
• Rockware Glass
• OI
• Stolzle Flaconnage

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The Glass Packaging Industry in Perspective
1.9bn Profit
37bn Sales
559m Sales
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What does recycled glass look like?
Recycled content 93
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What does recycled glass look like?
100 Recyclable
No loss in Quality
No loss in Purity
No loss in Clarity
FOREVER!
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Glass Recycling Benefits

• Glass recycling reduces CO2 emissions
• 200,000 tonnes per year
• Glass recycling increases public awareness of the
  problem of rubbish
• Glass recycling can ultimately reduce waste
  disposal costs
• Glass recycling creates jobs collection and
  reprocessing

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The Best Use

• Independent LCA report by Enviros demonstrated
  recycling glass into container production
  delivers the best environmental benefit

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Glass Recycling
UK total 1.048,531 tonnes
Container 658,423 tonnes
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The Challenge Ahead

• UK glass recycling rate in 2004 44
• 62 of all recycled glass was used by the glass
  container industry
• 32 of UK glass container production is Recycled
  Glass
• 2008 UK PPWD Target 60
• Container glass industry target 15
• Packer filler 37
• Retailer target 48

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Future Targets
60 PPWD
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The Challenge Ahead

• In order to achieve the 2008 target glass
  recycling will have to overcome some major
  challenges
• Regulatory disconnect
• Colour imbalance
• Imports
• Kerbside collection

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Regulatory Disconnect - Targets
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UK Colour Imbalance
Collection
Production
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UK Production vs Recycling
Produced
Recycled
Produced
Recycled
Produced
Recycled
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UK Production vs Recycling
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UK Production vs Recycling
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Alternative Uses

• We need alternative markets
• Bricks
• Shot blast
• Aggregates
• Filtration
• Common sense says use excess green to satisfy
  demand for alternative markets
• Direct clear and brown to container the biggest
  environmental benefit

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Imports

• UK imports of wine and beer equate to 629,000
  tonnes or 27 of the retail market
• Majority of imported wine is in green glass
• Industry is working to move imports into clear
• WRAP
• Courtauld Commitment companies
• Move to clear could significantly alter colour
  imbalance

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Collection Separation

• Massive growth in kerbside
• Double recycling rate for glass
• Increase clear glass to 50
• Where glass is collected mixed
• Poor quality
• Additional cost of colour separating
• Loose 15 of clear glass
• Loose 100 amber

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Collection Separation

• Some glass is collected separated and then mixed
  at the MRF
• BG still believes that glass banks are an
  integral and important element of the collection
  infrastructure

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The Virtuous Circle
Resource efficiency
Energy savings CO2 reduction
Wine into flint
Colour Separation KS bring banks
Increased glass recycling
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Conclusion

• Aim of recycling activity is to reduce the
  environmental and social impact of waste
• Glass recycling already reduces CO2 emissions by
  200,000 tonnes each year.
• We can increase this by maintaining colour
  separation and directing colours to appropriate
  markets
• The UK faces an enormous challenge in realising
  the potential environmental and social benefits
  of glass recycling.
• With growing levels of mixed collection these
  potential benefits become much more uncertain