Commingled Recycling Forces U.K. to Import Glass

A representative of British Glass, which represents the U.K.’s glass industry, says that almost 10 percent of the material recycled into new glass bottles last year had to be imported from other countries, according to Packaging News.

Commingled recycling programs – in which materials are collected together in one bin – are reportedly reducing the quality of glass collected.

“A majority of glass [from commingled] collections has been compacted so that even if it was clean enough, you wouldn’t be able to optical sort it. The less material available for reprocessing, the more virgin material we have to use,” said Rebecca Cocking, British Glass recycling manager. “So, to meet targets, firms are looking to imports.”

Glass recyclers in the U.K. are having problems with broken glass often found in commingled bins. Photo: Flickr/Daquella manera

In many cases, the material is compacted to the point that bottles break apart, and the resulting broken glass must often be used for products such as fiberglass instead of new glass bottles and jars.

British Glass told Packaging News that the U.K. recycled 1.6 million tons of glass last year, but only about 651,000 tons were used for new glass containers.

Not only was the rest downcycled into other products, but the U.K. also had to import almost 63,000 tons from the rest of Europe to meet its demand for recycled glass in new products.

“Our members don’t want to have to import, but we need the material,” Cocking added.

This is not just an issue in the U.K., as countries, including the U.S., face a shortage of recycled glass as well as decreased demand in the current economy.

Since many countries are setting goals for the amount of waste recycled, a shortage in available glass for recycling is also felt in other areas around the world.

British Glass is also a supporter of the Friends of Glass campaign, an initiative by the European Container Glass Federation which not only encourages glass recycling, but also promotes the use of glass packaging and products in general.