Don't shatter your green goals, recycle that glass

Did you know that your business can save money on waste disposal costs by recycling glass separately? Packaging waste and recycling have been a pressing environmental concern for years, with recent attention focused on items like coffee cups, straws, and cotton buds – those hard-to-recycle products often made from a number of different materials bonded together. However, one recyclable item that often gets overlooked is glass.

Can you put glass in the recycling bin?

Glass cannot be compacted like other materials, so it adds a lot of weight to general waste or mixed recycling bins. By having a dedicated glass recycling service, businesses reduce the weight and volume of their regular waste, resulting in lower fees for collection and disposal.

Separated glass recycling has many benefits, especially compared to making new glass from raw materials as glass can be recycled repeatedly without losing its quality. Recycled glass melts at a lower temperature than raw materials. By melting at a lower temperature, less energy is needed, resulting in reduced energy costs and a smaller environmental footprint.

Why should your business recycle glass separately?

Recycling glass can help you save money, conserve raw materials, and lessen your environmental impact. You don't have to have a bar or restaurant to benefit from recycling glass. While those businesses create large amounts of glass, it makes sense for any workplace. Glass is heavy and doesn't compress easily, so it fills bins quickly and costs more to dispose of as general waste than in a mixed or separate recycling service.

Fortunately, Commercial Waste Services has made it easy for your business to start recycling its glass. There are two approaches to recycling glass: mixed recycling and separate glass recycling.

Mixed recycling goes to Veolia’s Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility. There, the glass goes through a series of sorting and separating processes from other recyclables. This is because the glass was mixed with other recyclables therefore it needs extra processing before being sent to Knauf. Knauf then uses this processed glass to make insulation wool.
Separated glass recycling undergoes thorough cleaning, colour sorting, and grading processes in our Alperton depot before being sent to a specialised facility in Porto. There, the recycled glass is melted in dedicated furnaces, allowing it to be transformed into new glass products. This recycled glass is primarily utilised in the food and beverage industry, contributing to a sustainable circular economy by reducing the need for virgin raw materials.

Collecting glass separately is the preferred method for recycling because it helps save our environment in several ways. When glass is collected separately, it can be crushed and prepared for remelting without the need for extensive sorting. This reduces contamination from other materials and removes the need for energy-intensive sorting processes. As a result, separate glass collection leads to higher recycling rates for glass, which is beneficial for the environment.

For any business, implementing glass recycling demonstrates a commitment to sustainability while also making financial sense. It's a simple way to operate more responsibly. With the new ‘Simpler Recycling’ regulations coming into effect by March 2025, we're making it easy and affordable for you to recycle your glass and get ahead of the new rules.