Glass recycling proposals sought by Resource Recovery Fund Board
Pam Berman | CBC News | Posted: November 4, 2015 11:30 AM | Last Updated: November 4, 2015
The recycling agency makes no money from recycling glass
The Resource Recovery Fund Board has put out a call for companies to come up with new recycling proposals
for its glass beverage containers.
for its glass beverage containers.
The provincial agency collects 9,000 metric tonnes of glass every year through Enviro-Depots, but glass is costly to ship because it's heavy, has to be sorted by colour and is difficult to turn back into bottles.
The material is not a money-maker.
"We actually have to pay to have them taken for the cost of transporting and processing, so they are a challenge," said Jeff MacCullum, RRFB's CEO.
Glass can't be landfilled in N.S.
According to documents obtained by CBC News through the Freedom of Information Act, the Halifax region does not
make any money from the glass it collects in its blue bags either.
make any money from the glass it collects in its blue bags either.
"In Fredericton, they haven't collected glass for many years, they just landfill it," said Ken Donnelly, a consultant in
the waste and recycling industry. "They just feel it's inert, so in the landfill it doesn't cause any problems."
the waste and recycling industry. "They just feel it's inert, so in the landfill it doesn't cause any problems."
Glass is banned from Nova Scotia landfills by the province, so other alternatives are needed.
"Glass can be used for underbedding for roads." said Donnelly. "I've been in the U.K.They've used it for sand
blasting."
blasting."
The RRFB is hoping companies come forward with local or regional proposals, but there are challenges.
"Gravel and sand are dirt cheap in Nova Scotia, so it makes it difficult when you look at the processing costs," said MacCallum.
According to Donnelly, there are ways for municipalities to create their own markets.
"When I worked in Durham, companies that did paving work for the municipality were required to use 10 per cent of its ground glass mixed with the gravel in the road beds," he said.
The RRFB wants interested companies to submit glass recycling proposals by the end of the month.