Glass Goes Green, a project being carried out in West Oxfordshire, is to analyse waste from hotels, bars and restaurants with a view to creating a new glass collection service beginning spring 2003.
The new study is being carried out by staff at the Centre for Environmental Studies in the Hospitality Industry at Oxford Brookes University. It is also being supported by West Oxfordshire District Council and hotel organisations.
Analysis
Waste picked up from various licensed establishments will be taken to a local transfer station to be sorted and weighed. The Oxford Brookes team will record the origins of the glass by type of drink, such as lager, orange juice or alcopops.
Matt Todd, project manager of Glass Goes Green, explained: “Analysing the glass waste will help us to set up and run a trial glass collection service next year, which we hope will contribute towards a national scheme. We will also publish guidance on glass recycling for the hospitality industry.”
He added: “Our research in West Oxfordshire showed that up to 90% of glass waste from the hospitality sector is sent to landfill, at an average cost to each establishment of 400 per year.”
Commenting on the project, the head of the glass programme at WRAP, Andy Dawe, said: “With waste disposal charges increasing and strong market demand for recycled glass, this project provides an opportunity to resolve the issue of how best to collect the estimated 400,000 tonnes of glass containers from licensed premises, particularly those based in rural areas.”
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