Uni-Blinds® integral blind manufacturer Morley Glass has saved over 1,000 tonnes of post-consumer glass from going to landfill in just two years, and instead diverted it into the production of new glass in a scheme that has provided funding of more than GBP 60,000 for environmental and community schemes in West Yorkshire.
Morley Glass is the UK’s largest manufacturers of double glazed units with ScreenLine® integral blind systems inside, offering installers a market-leading range of Venetian and pleated blind options.
In 2020, the company invested in reducing its process waste and providing a post-consumer glass recycling service to installers by commissioning machinery that could crush waste glass into what is known as cullet. This can be fed directly into the manufacture of new glass which not only reduces needless landfill waste, but it also cuts the volumes of virgin raw materials needed to make glass and saves energy as turning cullet into new glass requires less energy.
The scheme, which is run in conjunction with international glass manufacturer Saint-Gobain Glass, is continuously audited so Morley Glass can see exactly how much waste glass is being collected and the benefits it is delivering.
The data shows that in two years, the amount of glass cullet produced by Morley Glass is saving around 325,000 kilograms of CO2, as every tonne of glass cullet prevents 300 kilograms going into the atmosphere. Over 920,000 kilograms of sand, the main raw material for glass, has also been saved and the overall energy saving to Saint-Gobain Glass is calculated at 541 ‘energy years’ – that is the energy used by an average UK household in 12 months.
In addition to saving resources and energy, the recycling scheme has another important benefit for communities in West Yorkshire. All the money raised by the sale of the recycled glass cullet to Saint-Gobain Glass goes into a fund set up by Morley Glass called GreenVision.
This offers GBP 500 one-off grants to charities, individuals and community groups who are located in West Yorkshire and dedicated to providing environmental or social improvements in their local area.
Ian Short, Managing Director of Morley Glass, said, “What started out as a simple business improvement idea has snowballed into an initiative that is delivering far-reaching benefits at a time when environmental and social sustainability have become priorities. We are thrilled to reach our 1,000 tonne milestone in just two years, which clearly demonstrates how popular the recycling service is with our customers who can save money on waste disposal costs too.
“And of course, the more waste glass we are able to collect and process, the more support we can provide through GreenVision to local people and groups who are giving up their time to improve their local environment or deliver social benefits.”