Going full circle: new glass from old

Each year Visy makes close to 3.4 billion bottles and jars in manufacturing plants across Australia and New Zealand, including approximately 750 million at their manufacturing facility at Spotswood in Melbourne’s west.

“Most of the glass from Victorians’ household recycling ends up at our facility right here in Melbourne, just under the West Gate Bridge, to be made into new glass food and beverage containers using recycled content,” says Chris De Fazio, Visy Contracts Manager for local government.

Recycling facility upgrade

The Spotswood facility has received a significant upgrade that is estimated to be in operation in late 2023 to process more of Victoria’s glass.

The facility currently operates by sorting glass 10 mm in size or larger. Once this upgrade is complete, it will be capable of sorting glass down to 3 mm in size – boosting recycling opportunities and diverting even more glass from landfill. It will double the recycling capacity from 100,000 tonnes of glass each year to 200,000. That’s the equivalent of 150 glass bottles recycled for every Victorian per year.

The additional recycled glass will be made into new jars and bottles for Australian food and beverage companies and used in asphalt and road base works.

Chris says when Victorians recycle correctly at home it means even more glass can be recovered and made into new glass packaging.

New recycling services

Sustainability Victoria’s A small act makes a big impact campaign forms part of the Victorian Government’s circular economy plan, a $515 million investment to transform the state’s waste and recycling sector as it shifts to a circular economy.

This includes the roll out of new recycling services and a significant investment in facilities in the coming years so that Victoria can recycle more than ever before.

“New glass recycling bins and drop-off points are being introduced to help households separate their glass from their mixed recycling. Even the tiny pieces of glass that can’t be made into new glass bottles and jars can still be used to make bike paths and roads.”

Currently, only a few local government areas have introduced a glass-only service, but as more councils implement the new glass-only services in the coming years, Visy can increase the amount of recycled glass used in new glass products from 30% to 70%.

“Not only will it help us recover more glass to be recycled but it will also help us recover more mixed recyclables."

Your small acts

When you place glass bottles and jars in your mixed recycling they sometimes break into small pieces and these can make their way into the paper and cardboard and even plastics, which makes them harder to recycle.

When you get your purple-lidded glass bin or access to glass drop-off points in your area, remember to separate your glass bottles and jars from your mixed recyclables.

“A small act that Victorians can do to help recover more glass is putting their recyclables loose in the bin and not in bags.

“Even the smallest act can make a big impact when it comes to creating a sustainable future,” Chris says.