Valpak, the largest packaging waste compliance scheme, is in the process of agreeing a supply agreement with RMC Aggregates for the supply of green cullet for RMC’s Glasphalt project.
Recently Valpak advertised for companies across the UK to supply it with glass from pubs and clubs and the organisation has also had talks with some local authorities.
But, Chris Davey, chairman of LARAC, the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee, said he thought local authorities would not rush to sign up contracts with any party that was suddenly offering higher prices. “I think you will find councils are cautious and have a long experience of the glass market.”
Ian Southcott of RMC said that the Glasphalt product was marketed through its virtuous circle of coming from a recycled product. The cullet will not be used in all RMC’s materials but in Glasphalt specifically ordered by local authorities and other road builders. It is a mixture of bitumen, natural aggregate and 30% crushed recycled glass and is used as a basecourse or roadbase material.
Work started today on road reconstruction at Olney near Milton Keynes using Glasphalt. A statement from the council said that it is “experimenting with Glasphalt, a roadbase which includes recycled green bottles which have been finely crushed.
“The improvements are designed to ensure a smoother, better looking road surface which uses Glasphalt as part of the aggregate underneath the road surface.”
At least 30% of the crushed bottles used in the material will come from the Milton Keynes area and some 300 tonnes of green bottles from Milton Keynes will be transported to RMC’s plant at Dagenham to be crushed and brought back to the company’s production plant in Bletchley for use in the material for Olney.
A council highways spokesman said: “As an authority heavily into recycling the use of the Glasphalt as part of the coarse aggregate looks ideal.”
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