Recycled glass outlets increasing, says WRAP

Speaking at the annual GlassAction meeting, held at Tankersley Manor in Barnsley, WRAP’s Andy Dawe reported results of a series of industrial-scale trials to a group of professionals working in glass.

”These trials have highlighted the many different benefits recycled glass can offer British industry“
– Andy Dawe, WRAP
Potential

The organisation explained the potential for using glass in aggregates, ship repairs, brick building, golf course maintenance and as an alternative to silica sand in road manufacturing.

Mr Dawe, materials sector manager for glass at the organisation, said that the tests funded by WRAP had demonstrated the commercial viability and at least comparable performance of recycled glass compared to traditional materials such as sand.

He added: “These trials have highlighted the many different benefits recycled glass can offer British industry. By demonstrating the advantages of using it, we have provided a good business case, which UK companies will find hard to ignore.”

Wine

WRAP has also been pushing for the bulk importing of wine to reduce the quantity of glass coming into the country. Bulk shipment is a growing trend and currently accounts for 20% of imports.

Members of the glass industry heard that trials involving members of the shipbuilders and shiprepairers association had shown that grit from recycled glass achieved a comparable profile to copper slag when preparing surfaces for paints and coatings.

Mr Dawe explained that encouraging results had come from the brick industry, which showed that adding recycled glass as a fluxing agent during manufacture could increase productivity, reduce firing times and lower emissions.

Processed sand using recycled glass has also been trialled successfully in golf course maintenance and recycled glass has been shown to improve the strength of aggregates in certain cases.

David Workman, director general of British Glass, said: “We are delighted at the success of this year’s event. The extensive works that WRAP is undertaking to promote the glass industry will lead to big improvements in recycling rates in the UK and we now need to strengthen the supply chain to accommodate future growth in demand.”