Glass recycling boost

Morley Glass and Glazing and Saint-Gobain Glass have joined forces to recycle and re-use post-consumer glass.

Saint-Gobain Glass already operates a cullet, or waste glass, return scheme and, since the introduction of using cullet in the manufacture of float glass, the company has been able to increase the amount of recycled material used to 35%, rising to 41% in some cases.

However, the majority of the 56,000 tonnes of waste glass returned every year comes from the manufacturing process (pre-consumed glass) rather than glass that has been used in end products.

Morley Glass and Glazing has offered its 50,000ft2 manufacturing space in Leeds to serve as a collection centre for post-consumer glass, installed a glass crushing machine, and employed one new member of staff to manage the scheme.

Ian Short, managing director at Morley Glass and Glazing, said: “We already send our waste glass from the factory to Saint-Gobain Glass in Eggborough to become cullet. Now we are offering our customers the opportunity to return their post-consumer glass to us for recycling free of charge.

“The money we receive for the recycled glass will be donated to local environmental charities. It seems such a waste for our vans to return empty after delivering our sealed units with integral blinds inside throughout the UK, so why not encourage our customers to pack them full of old windows and doors that they are replacing.

“This saves our customers the cost and inconvenience of disposing of them to landfill or other commercial recycling schemes that will levy a charge for the service. We will then separate the metal and frames from the glass and ensure each element is recycled and re-used as fully as possible.”

Mike Butterick, head of marketing at Saint-Gobain Glass, said: “This is a fantastic partnership that delivers a sustainable solution for the whole supply chain. Using one tonne of cullet saves 1.2 tonnes of raw material, including 850kg of sand, reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 300kg. Our innovative use of cullet in the glass manufacturing process has always been a key differentiator for the business and this partnership takes it one step further.”

Saint-Gobain Glass is committed to ensuring none of the cullet returned ends as landfill. Therefore, if the cullet doesn’t pass the company’s strict screening procedure, provisions are made for it to be recycled elsewhere via a third party.