CREATING CLEAN
STEWARDSHIP TAKES THE EDGE OFF GLASS RECYCLING
Is glass recycling that complicated?
You put your empty bottle or jar in
the recycling bin and job done, right?
For the average person that’s about
where it begins and ends, but there’s
more which goes on afterwards.
The glass must be collected, sorted,
stored and transported to Auckland
where it is used by the country’s only
container glass manufacturer, O-I
New Zealand, to make new glass
bottles.
FTR431
It’s the circular economy in action,
and it’s where the Glass Packaging
Forum (GPF) is hard at work helping
its members take responsibility for
their glass packaging.
The GPF is a membership
organisation representing 85% of the
country’s container glass industry,
with over 100 member brands. They
contribute a voluntary levy to steward
the glass they put into market. These
levies are in turn used by the GPF’s
government-accredited product
stewardship scheme to improve
glass recycling in New Zealand.
“While putting your glass bottle or
jar in a recycling bin is the crucial
first step, there are other challenges
which must be overcome,” says
Glass Packaging Forum scheme
manager Dominic Salmon.
“Transport and storage are a big
part of the equation. Councils and
recycling companies have invested
heavily over the past decades to
improve the collection, aggregation
and transport of recycled glass.
The GPF is an important partner in
this, having funded over $1.7 million
alone in grants for infrastructure and
equipment.”
These grants, he says, for things like
glass storage bunkers or equipment
to crush and load glass, means
more can be collected, stored and
transported – all vital to making glass
recycling cost-effective.
The GPF funding also goes beyond
infrastructure and equipment.
“In total we have funded over $3.4
million for projects which improve
glass recycling – infrastructure,
technology, recycling at events or
public place, and research.
“We also collaborate with councils
and recycling companies to improve
glass recycling around the country,
such as working to help councils
move away from co-mingled
recycling collections. One example of
this is Tauranga City Council’s move
to a ‘colour-separated at source’
collection method, which the GPF
helped fund and which doubled
glass recycling rates in a matter of
months.”
He says the GPF works hard to
establish hubs where glass can be
aggregated to improve transport
efficiencies.
“All of this means we have achieved
a 62% recovery rate of total glass to
market and are heading towards a
goal of 84% by 2024.”
So, if you think glass recycling is
simple that’s because of the work
going on behind the scenes to make
it happen. You can do your bit by
recycling your bottles and jars, and, if
you sell product in glass packaging,
join the GPF to play your part in the
sustainable story of glass.
CREATE CLEAN
30 NOVEMBER 2019