Waste Management & Recycling

Glass for Europe wishes to see the development of an efficient waste management infrastructure in every Member State for the collection and treatment of construction and demolition glass as a raw material.

The glass industry is willing to contribute expertise in the setting up of these infrastructures with workable, practical and economically viable solutions.

In Europe, each year, approximately 1.2 million tonnes of glass waste is generated by the demolition and renovation of buildings. Glass represents 0.66% of the construction and demolition waste stream.

There are three main operations involved in the recycling of glass generated by construction and demolition:

• Dismantling: the glass is removed from the building and sorted by type according to the proposed end use.
• Cullet processing: only limited quantities of Construction and Demolition glass are recycled as in most countries there is no standardized system for dismantling and collection
• Shredding: the whole building is demolished and the C & D waste (including glass) is crushed and shredded into pieces.