Saint-Gobain Glass UK partners with Morley Glass & Glazing to recycle post-consumer glass

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Saint-Gobain Glass UK has partnered with Leeds based Morley Glass & Glazing to recycles its post-consumer glass

Saint-Gobain Glass UK has partnered with Leeds based Morley Glass & Glazing to recycle and re-use the integral blinds company’s post-consumer glass.

The British Glass member operates the largest cullet or waste glass return scheme in the UK and has been able to increase the amount of cullet used in its products from 35% to 41% since the introduction of using recycled material in the float glass manufacturing process.

However, despite this increase, the majority of the 56,000 tonnes of waste glass returned to Saint-Gobain comes from the manufacturing process as opposed to post-consumer glass.

Therefore, Morley Glass & Glazing has offered its manufacturing space in Leeds as a collection centre for post-consumer glass by installing a glass crushing machine and employing a new member of staff to oversee the project.

Ian Short, Managing Director at Morley Glass & Glazing, said:

“We already send our waste glass from the factory to Saint-Gobain Glass in Eggborough to become cullet and be used in the production of new float glass. Now we are offering our customers the opportunity to return their post-consumer glass to us for recycling free of charge. 

“This saves our customers the cost and inconvenience of disposing of them to landfill or other commercial recycling schemes that will levy a charge for the service. We will then separate the metal and frames from the glass and ensure each element is recycled and re-used as fully as possible.”

Mike Butterick, Head of Marketing at Saint-Gobain Glass said: “This is a fantastic partnership that delivers a sustainable solution for the whole supply chain.

“Using one tonne of cullet saves 1.2 tonnes of raw material, including 850 kg of sand; reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 300 kg.

“Our innovative use of cullet in the glass manufacturing process has always been a key differentiator for the business and this partnership takes it one step further.

“Mirrored, lacquered and coated glass can all be returned and used in the manufacturing process. As cullet takes less energy to process than raw materials, this benefits both Saint-Gobain Glass and the environment.”

Saint-Gobain Glass is committed to ensuring none of the cullet returned goes to landfill. Therefore, if the cullet doesn’t pass the company’s strict screening procedure, provisions are made for it to be recycled elsewhere via a third party.