In 2007, Vitro Flat Glass used 65,000 tons of cullet in its furnaces, which resulted in a 9% saving in energy consumption, while in 2008 the figure is expected to reach 25%, the company said.
Vitro …
In 2007, Vitro Flat Glass used 65,000 tons of cullet in its furnaces, which resulted in a 9% saving in energy consumption, while in 2008 the figure is expected to reach 25%, the company said. Vitro collects cullet from its own plants and processes, as well as receiving consignments from external suppliers. As well as cullet, the company recovers glass packaging waste. “Since 1996 we have collected 1.6 million tons of containers in Mexico, which would fill the leaning tower of Pisa 76 times”, the company said. “In 2007, we captured 60,946 tons of glass and our goal for 2008 is to exceed this amount by 10%”, the company added. In the year to July 2008, the company collected 35,117 tonnes of glass containers for recycling compared to 26,281 tonnes in the same period of 2007, 25% more than the previous year, said the firm. Vitro has an ongoing glass recycling program that allowed it to capture a total of 125,946 tons of glass in Mexico (not counting its plant in Mexicali) in 2007, which formed 5.2% of its annual production. The program thus saved 7.49 million cubic meters of natural gas and prevented the release into the atmosphere of 14,875 tonnes of CO2. In the first seven months of 2008, Vitro has recycled 22,800 tons of cullet in the furnace of its plant in Mexicali. The recycling of glass is a key element of environmental policy and supports the company“s operations.