Glass packaging company Nampak Wiegand Glass has launched its new R160-million waste glass, or cullet, processing plant, which uses innovative technology and equipment from Austrian international glas…
Glass packaging company Nampak Wiegand Glass has launched its new R160-million waste glass, or cullet, processing plant, which uses innovative technology and equipment from Austrian international glass innovation specialist company Binder+Co, and is expected to meet all its processing and supply needs in the future. Thanks to the a high-resolution camera system, which is able to recognize a wide colour spectrum to separate waste glass shards according to colour, the process is speeded up drastically when compared with sorting different colour glass waste by hand. The company aims to process 10,000 t/m of glass using the new technology, which will be more than double its current 4,000 t/m. The new plant will also separate the waste glass from other material, clean the sorted waste glass and deliver material ready for use in the manufacture of new glass products. During the launch, Nampak group executive Charles Bromley said that the new plant was a dream which had become reality, as the company had not thought it would be possible to sort glass mechanically, and was part of an investment programme to transform Nampak Wiegand Glass into a world-class player. The plant is also a significant contributor to Nampak“s environmental drive, as it promotes community glass recycling and meets energy efficiency requirements. Overall head of sales and marketing at Binder, Joerg Rosegger said that Binder focuses on processes, tailor-made solutions, products and systems for its customers and partners. It also concentrates on innovation, as this is what enables companies to survive. When you are always one step ahead, you will always be on the winning side, he said. Shabeer Jhetam, the Glass Recycling Company“s GM, congratulated Nampak Wiegand Glass and commended the company for its commitment to glass recycling in South Africa. He added that The Glass Recycling Company“s aim was that of collecting about 290,000 tons of glass this fiscal period, increase recovery levels and achieve a recycling rate of at least 50%.