The first Bottle Bank, sited in Barnsley, celebrates its 25th birthday on 24 August! Bottle Banks were the first recycling scheme to engage the public’s interest.
The prime motivator of the Bottle Bank scheme, Stanley Race, the then president of the Glass Manufacturers’ Federation (now British Glass) placed the very first bottle in a Bottle Bank, an event caught by Yorkshire Television.
It was almost 70 years ago, when a young man, that Stanley came to see the potential value of cullet (recycled glass), not only as a raw material but the benefits it could give. He was not the only one. “I remember,” he said, “a rag and bone merchant acquiring a lorry so he could go round the breweries collecting glass which could be then sold back to the industry.”
His first task was to “convince the Local Authorities that not only would such a scheme be environmentally friendly, it would pay for itself. It was South Yorkshire County Council (as it was then) that decided to set the trend.
“Six months and 5,000 tonnes of glass later the scheme was extended as we had captured the public imagination.” Now, there are 50,000 Bottle Banks nationwide and the glass industry recycled over 550,000 tonnes into new bottles and jars in 2001. As a result, the glass industry, local authorities and householders can celebrate a successful partnership that has lasted 25 years.
Added Stanley Race, “Another Bottle Bank was launched in Oxford around the same time by the Chairman of Waste Management. I kept an eye on the situation and had to chuckle when it was found that glass being recycled in Barnsley came from pickle jars, jam jars and sauce bottles, while those in Oxford were wine and beer bottles. A sign of the times then!”
Stanley Race was awarded the CBE for his efforts in 1979 and he recalls proudly that, at the ceremony, the Queen asked him how the scheme was getting on.
British Glass, the trade federation for the UK glass industry and based in Sheffield, is still very active in its promotion of the Bottle Bank scheme today with its campaign “Don’t bin it. Bank it.”
A quarter of a century on, the Bottle Bank scheme is still one of the most environmentally-friendly schemes in existence. In the intervening period, six million tonnes have been recycled - to you or me that equates to the banking of 23 billion jars and bottles!
Notes to Editors:
The British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation is the trade federation which represents the interests of all sectors of the glass industry in the UK. Its main activity is in representing the industry at European, national and local level on a wide range of topical legislative issues. It is still at the forefront of promoting environmentally friendly recycling systems, including the continuation of the Bottle Bank scheme, and furthering its activity into kerbside collection systems.. It also conducts independent research into all aspects of glass production and technology.
Glass recycling
- reduces the need for quarrying;
- cuts the amount of waste going to landfill;
- saves significant energy; and
- reduces emissions
All in all, glass recycling provides a significant contribution towards conserving the environment.
Recycling glass increases public awareness of the problem of waste and gives each individual the opportunity to plan an active part in environmental action and conservation.
Issued 21 August 2002
