Glass, the versatile material that encases our bottles and jars, cradles our favourite beverages, and stores our pantry staples, sees a staggering 14 million units ending up in UK landfills every day. That translates to over 5 billion annually, trapped in a state of perpetual decomposability. This situation is particularly unfortunate given that glass is 100% recyclable.
Numerous businesses in the hospitality, events, and facilities sectors generate daily glass waste and have the potential to do more to ensure that the maximum amount is recycled. Let’s uncork the problems and explore ways to move towards a more sustainable future.
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So why is glass so inefficient to dispose of
Glass bottles and jars are cumbersome in your bin; designed to hold liquid, once emptied, they become nothing but air, occupying considerable space in your bin. This results in more glass containers necessitating more bins, meaning more logistics and more waste management costs.
So what can you do about it?
Crush the glass with Glass Loop
The Glass Loop is a plug-and-play solution that crushes your glass waste to just 80% of its original size on site. This allows you to decrease the number of containers by five times, making waste collections 5 times less frequent and significantly reducing your carbon footprint and decreasing your waste management costs. Additionally, it compresses unpleasant odours emitted by used glass bottles and prevents the attraction of pests. The cullet is also easily recyclable, diverting it away from landfill.
How Glass loop works
- Gather your glass bottles and jars
- Open the Glass Loop hatch
- Feed the Glass loop: Toss your glass items large opening. Remember, it can handle up to 60 bottles!
- Time to crush: Once full, close the hatch securely and locate the BIG RED BUTTON.
- Cullet creation: Wait 10 seconds as the Glass Loop works its magic, transforming your glass waste into small, rounded pieces called “cullet.”
- Emptying the haul: Locate the handy drawer at the bottom of the Glass Loop. Open it and voila! Your crushed glass awaits.
- Enjoy the benefits: Dispose of the cullet responsibly, knowing you’ve just reduced your glass waste volume by up to 5 times!
Minimize glass waste with reusables
While removing all glass from your business might not be practical or feasible in all situations as a waste reduction approach, prioritising reusables offers an excellent way to significantly decrease reliance on single-use glass containers. Consider investing in durable reusable cups and water bottles for customers, and explore partnerships with refill programs for beverages, such as the stack cup initiative. Additionally, encourage customers to bring in their reusable containers to prevent the overall generation of waste.
