Collection of glass packaging waste
At Ecovidrio we collect glass packaging waste in two different ways:
Selective collection by using bins
It is carried out using the igloo-shaped bins we find in the streets and that contain glass packaging waste deposited and correctly separated by the citizens and the horeca sector.
It has always been our main approach and the driving force behind our operations. It is the system promoted by the European Union to reach the recycling rate targets and the most beneficial from an environmental and social point of view.
Thanks to establishing a monomaterial bin, we are able to achieve high quality recycling. These bins only include 2% of unsuitable waste, and we can recycle the glass packaging waste in its entirety.
Collection through urban waste plants
It consists of recovering glass packaging that have not been separated properly in homes or horeca establishments and have ended in the rubbish.
It is a pioneering initiative in Europe that avoids glass packaging ending up in the landfill.
It will never be the driving force behind the growth of glass packaging recycling in our country, as given the unique characteristics of glass, this is an environmentally and economically expensive process that does not recover 100% of the waste.
Here are more details about each of them and their differences. Read on!
using the bin
The selective collection of glass packaging waste can be carried out by the town hall or by us directly. Here are the differences:
When managed by Ecovidrio
It's our speciality! When we selectively collect the waste, we conduct field studies, look for new points, place our green igloo-shaped bins and provide the town hall with the best solutions to improve its selective collection figures.
The lorries you see on the street are subcontracted by Ecovidrio by means of public tender. Of course, we take care of the entire cost of operations.
When managed by the local authority
When carried out this way, the town halls are responsible for placing the bins and managing their collection. In this case, we finance the total cost of operations involved in the selective collection of glass packaging.
But we don't stop there. We always provide support on-site and additional solutions to improve the results.
Check here who manages the selective collection of glass packaging waste in your city or municipality.
At Ecovidrio, we have developed a pioneering initiative in Europe that enables us to recover glass packaging waste that has been deposited, incorrectly, to the rest-waste fraction. It is a sophisticated and complex process, but we have been able to obtain the quality required to manufacture new glass packagings and prevent a secondary raw material ending up in the landfill.
We are proud to say that thanks to the amount of effort and research invested, there are now urban waste plants throughout Spain that are recovering this waste. However, given the unique characteristics of glass, it is an environmentally and economically expensive process that does not recover 100% of the waste.
How is it carried out?
The process of extracting glass packaging waste can only be carried out in urban waste plants that have a composting module.
The waste (rest-waste fraction) that reaches these facilities goes through various waste screening and separation phases.
At the end of the process, we obtain what is called biostabilised material: organic matter that may still include waste remaining from other materials.
Several separation machines are used to recover small glass fragments.
They are processed in a treatment plant to remove unsuitable waste and guarantee the market's requirements.
Voilá, they can become new glass packagings!
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