UK based glass recycling company Recresco has won two Welsh local county council contracts for kerbside collected glass into its Cwmbran depot.
The contracts will see Recresco reprocessing around 2,500 tonnes from Torfaen Borough Council and around 4,200 tonnes from Powys County Council of commercial and residential collected bottle glass per annum. The collected glass will be transported to Recresco’s state of the art Cwmbran plant where it will be sorted and processed for end use at Torfaen based Knauf Insulation for the manufacture of high-quality fibreglass.
The contract with Cwmbran Borough Council is an extension of an already established 12-month agreement, whilst the Powys County Council contract was awarded following a successful tender process.
Headquartered in Nottingham and operating out of plants at Ellesmere Port and Springvale Industrial Estate in Cwmbran, Recresco has built a strong reputation around its recycling efforts. The Cwmbran site was established in 2010 following a successful bid to supply Torfaen based Knauf Insulation with reprocessed glass for fibreglass production; a relationship that continues today.
Recresco, which is the largest glass recycler in Wales has committed approximately £1.2M to the site in recent years investing in state-of-the-art sorting and processing machinery upgrades. The upgrade program is thought to have increased output from the site by as much as 30%.
Recresco was awarded £50,000 by the Welsh Economic Futures grant in 2020 to support its continued development in the region.
Recresco Business Development Manager, Fraser Macintyre said of the contract,
We are proud to work with both Torfaen and Powys Councils to support recycling and waste management efforts in Wales.
We are firmly committed to our presence in the region and are proud to serve the local community with waste management strategies and ongoing continuous employment.
Recresco has operated its Cwmbran depot since 2010 and we have invested in the site’s development and growth in recent years. We are proud to boast the latest ground-breaking glass sorting technology which enables us to drive more glass to remelt and minimise waste.
Nigel Brinn, Executive Director Economy & Environment, Powys County Council said:
We have worked with Recresco in the past and have always been impressed by the company’s professionalism and commitment to quality.
Glass is a truly circular material and by maximising the use of recycled content in new glass product manufacturing, we can substantially reduce carbon emissions and environmental impact.
It is reassuring to know that by working with Recresco, collected glass will be used sustainably and will help serve our environmental and circular economy goals.
Maria Challenger, Torfaen Borough Council:
We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with Recresco.
Environmental impact and local employment are two areas that are very high on the Councils’ agenda. By working with Recresco, we not only ensuring mixed glass kerbside collections are recycled into new products, we also know we are sustaining jobs in the region and fuelling the local economy.
Glass is recycled in a closed loop system enabling us to preserve our precious natural resources and reduce waste.
