Beatson Clark partners with Leeds for glass recycling initiative

UK glass packaging manufacturer Beatson Clark will receive glass from a kerbside collection scheme in Leeds, England.

Glass collected from Leeds, Yorkshire, will be sent by HW Martin Waste to Beatson Clark’s on-site recycling plant in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

This is part of Leeds City Council’s first kerbside glass collection scheme.

At the Rotherham plant, the glass will be melted down and turned into new bottles and jars for Beatson Clark’s customers.

Leeds City Council said it would aim to sort the waste glass collected in Yorkshire, to reduce transport emissions and keep the process as local as possible. 

Charlotte Pike, Marketing Manager at Beatson Clark, said: “Recycling waste glass is an important part of our manufacturing process, as it reduces the amount of raw materials we use and cuts down on energy use and carbon emissions too.”

“On average, our amber glass containers are made up of over 56% post-consumer recycled glass and over 36% for our white flint glass containers; this is in addition to any industrial waste glass generated during the manufacturing process.”

Every year, Beatson Clark processes around 44,000 tonnes of waste glass recovered from kerbside collections, bottle banks and the hospitality trade at its on-site recycling plant.

This ‘closed loop’ recycling system ensures that large volumes of recycled glass are processed on site and used in the production of new containers, considerably reducing the environmental impact of the manufacturing process.

Ms Pike said: “Every 10% of recycled glass means an estimated 5% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 3% cut in energy consumption, so the more recycled glass we can use, the better it is for the environment.”

Leeds currently collects approximately 8,000 tonnes of glass from its network of 700 bottle banks around the city, but 11,400 tonnes is going in general waste bins.

If this 11,400 tonnes were placed in the recycling bin, the environmental benefit would be an annual carbon saving of 2,600 tonnes per year - the equivalent of taking 975 cars off the road.

“Kerbside collections contribute enormously to the industry’s target of achieving 90% glass collection rate by 2030,” said Ms Pike. “We are already well on our way with over 74% recorded in the UK, and with councils like Leeds introducing kerbside collections, we are paving the way to reaching this goal.”

08.08.2024, beatson clark