Touch of Glass

A proposal to reduce the number of permits needed to process flat glass will make it easier for companies to recycle the material.
The flat glass Quality Protocol, developed by the Environment Agency and WRAP, aims to cut down on the number of permits and licences required by companies to recycle waste flat glass. At present, the UK produces over 700,000 tonnes of waste flat glass of which only 200,000 are recycled. Increased recycling and use of recycled glass have many environmental benefits as well as savings on landfill waste.
According to WRAP, producing glass from virgin materials uses 25 per cent more energy than is used through reusing processed flat glass.  Similarly, re-melting a tonne of flat glass can save on the use of 1.2 tonnes of raw materials.
Martin Brocklehurst, Head of External Programmes at the Environment Agency says about the proposal: “This consultation on a Quality Protocol for processed cullet from waste flat glass, proposes creating new business opportunities for companies that market and sell-on processed flat glass. By allowing them to get rid of the “waste” tag, their products will be more attractive to buyers”.
The Protocol was developed in conjunction with industry representatives and will be subject to a three-month consultation period. It forms part of the Waste Protocol Project to better determine at what point waste materials become non-waste and can be recycled. The project is being co-developed by WRAP and the Environment Agency and is funded by Defra’s Business Resource Efficiency & Waste (BREW) programme.