More than 6,000 licensed premises in the UK have joined Valpak's recycle-more-glass service which collects mixed glass for use in the aggregate sector. The scheme is driving the glass recycling market and is Valpak's latest initiative which has been developed in order to receive Packaging Waste Recovery Notes (PRNs).
Collections started in mid June for 1,500 pubs, bars and restaurants in London, Yorkshire and Avon and around 20,000 tonnes of glass bottles should be recycled by the end of the year. Nearly 200 tonnes of glass bottles are expected to be collected each week from licensed premises in London with a further 200 tonnes from Manchester, York, Sheffield, Bath and Bristol. Valpak is also rolling out the scheme in urban areas in the Midlands, South Wales and Newcastle over the next few months with the aim of having nation wide coverage shortly.
Rosalind Dorning, of Valpak, said: “In addition to providing glass for recycling into new bottles and jars, the glass collected will support a new recycling process in which the glass is ground down and used for a number of applications in the aggregates and construction industry.”
She added: “The main benefit of using recycled glass in this way is that we can simplify the collection process and reduce costs, making it more attractive to the licensed premises. It also means that the glass can be used in local construction programmes which will reduce the environmental impact of pollution, noise and traffic congestion associated with transporting it over long distances by road to glass foundries.”
Emma Stewart, communications officer at Valpak, said: “The aggregates market is one where we are able to receive a large amount of recycled material. We are at the starting point and there is unlimited potential.”
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