Glass collection & re-processing options report

Some of the key findings of the report include:

• Education and promotion to householders and waste glass producers will have a significant impact in improving glass quality by keeping contamination to a minimum, whether the glass collected is colour sorted or not.
• Colour separated bring sites are the most cost effective method of waste glass collection relative to material quality and quantity. There are examples of high performing Local Authorities who rely wholly on Bring Banks to collect all glass waste, and it is likely that bring sites will form some part of a successful overall strategy.
• Where bring sites are made accessible to C&I glass waste producers, they may significantly increase the total glass waste recycled at no additional net cost to the collector.
• Colour separated kerbside collections of glass are likely to be cheaper than mixed glass collection after taking account of the material values and further costs of processing cullet to the standard required for closed loop recycling as required by the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012.
• The report was carried out in 2012.