Issues

Mixed Colour Collection

Clear, brown and green container glass are increasingly being mixed before recycling in the UK, creating uncertainty for the glass container industry.

The majority of container glass produced in the UK is clear, with a high level of clear exports, mostly through whisky bottles. Production of green glass is relatively low (around 300,000 tonnes a year) but high volumes of green are imported as wine bottles (around 600,000 tonnes).

The chemistry of glass means that recycled green glass cannot be used to make new clear glass bottles. These factors create a fundamental imbalance between what is collected and the markets available.

The problem is being compounded by local authorities increasingly mixing glass colours in kerbside collection schemes, and more recently in glass banks too. British Glass estimates that around 30 per cent of glass collections are mixed, a figure which is growing rapidly.

The rise of kerbside collections, which generally do not separate by colour, is seen as inevitable as the UK attempts to catch up with EU recycling targets (60 per cent of glass must be recycled by 2008). They compensate for the difficulty by increasing glass bank density and in gaining public participation.

In 2008 the UK approach to glass recycling will be judged against countries whose balance of glass expprts and colour splits give them a natural advantage and whose pragmatic, long-term approach to collection has allowed them to make the most of the environmental opportunity glass recycling provides.

The number of UK glass banks has been static for many years, and density is around half of that found in other EU countries. Some figures are even showing that the number of glass banks in the UK is dropping.

In most European countries, alternative markets for recycled glass play a small role. In Germany, for example, they account for just three per cent of glass recycling. The high level of mixed and green glass that cannot be used for glass container production in the UK means that there is a great reliance on export and alternative markets.

Glass is of course amazing as it can be recycled endlessdly back into containers. It can be used in water filtration systems, shot blasting, added to bricks and ceramics, in agreggates and turned into decorative products such as pavings. However, to meet the EU 60 per cent target, the UK needs to urgently grow all these markets. In the UK, the figure is currently 30 per cent. If current trends continue, it will need to increase to at least 50 per cent, or 800,000 tonnes by 2008.

By not separating glass colours and not growing glass bank systems, the UK is in danger of heading in the wrong direction. The unique nature of the UK market is not being recognised in the way we have developed our recycling legislation and glass collection infrastructure.

Here in the UK we must urgently try to match the depth of the European glass collection systems and we need to maximise all markets. Colour separated collection would be an essential first step to start this process.