The plant, in Belfast's Titanic Quarter, has received 200,000 in funding from the development agency Invest Northern Ireland. Ballymena-based operators Kosmos Recycling expect the plant to process over 8,000 tonnes of glass waste in the first year of the its operation.
Kosmos will collect contaminated waste glass from hotels, pubs and restaurants and reprocess it to produce “safe, sterile ground glass cullet” using a Krysteline machine, the first of its specification in Northern Ireland.
The technology will allow waste glass to be collected in bulk without the labour intensive and costly need to segregate the glass by colour, the company said. The cullet produced will then be sold for use in the manufacture of value added materials such as water filtration sand, road paving aggregate, flooring, paint and fibreglass.
Kosmos will use of specialised collection vehicles with computerised onboard weighing systems to establish a firm audit trail to assist with the demands of the packaging waste regulations.
Graham Davis, director of local economic development with Invest NI said: “This is an innovative new project using cutting edge technology to deliver a valuable service in a niche market. In addition, the end product will allow Kosmos Glass Recycling to enter export markets with a competitively priced multipurpose material.”
Robert Mathers, managing director of Kosmos Glass Recycling said: “Considering the potential financial implications for businesses which fail to comply with the latest EU legislation relating to waste management, Kosmos Glass Recycling will provide local firms with a fast and economical method of dealing with waste glass.”
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