Beatson Clark is now receiving some of Leeds City Council’s glass from their first kerbside glass collection scheme.
The council specified that as far as possible the waste glass they collect should be processed in Yorkshire, reducing transport emissions and keeping the process as local as possible. So, an amount of the glass from Leeds will be sent by HW Martin Waste Ltd to Beatson Clark on-site recycling plant, where it will be melted down and turned into new bottles and jars.
“Recycling waste glass is a really important part of our manufacturing process as it reduces the amount of raw materials we use and cuts down on energy use and carbon emissions too,” said Charlotte Pike, Marketing Manager at Beatson Clark.
“On average our amber glass containers are made up of over 56 percent post-consumer recycled glass and over 36 percent for our white flint glass containers; this is in addition to any industrial waste glass generated during the manufacturing process.
“Every 10 percent of recycled glass means an estimated 5 percent reduction in CO2 emissions and a 3 percent cut in energy consumption, so the more recycled glass we can use, the better it is for the environment.
Every year Beatson Clark processes around 44,000 tonnes of waste glass recovered from kerbside collections, bottle banks and the hospitality trade at its on-site recycling plant.
This ‘closed loop’ recycling system ensures that large volumes of recycled glass are processed on site and used in the production of new containers, significantly reducing the environmental impact of the manufacturing process.
Leeds currently collects about 8,000 tonnes of glass from its network of 700 bottle banks around the city, but 11,400 tonnes is going in the general waste wheelie bins. If this 11,400 tonnes were placed in the recycling wheelie bin the environmental benefit would be an annual carbon saving of 2,600 tonnes per year – the equivalent of taking 975 cars off the road.
Beatson Clark is keen to encourage householders in Leeds to recycle correctly by identifying what glass can go in the recycling bin and what glass can’t. Heatproof glass like Pyrex and oven doors can’t be recycled with bottles and jars, for example, and the same applies to mirrors, spectacles, window glass and light bulbs. They melt at a different temperature and can cause glass defects in the new packaging being produced.