GPI Marks Earth Day by Announcing September 2011 will be Recycle Glass Month

In honor of Earth Day 2011, the Glass Packaging Institute is announcing that it is recognizing September 2011 as Recycle Glass Month. During the month, GPI and its member companies will hold nationwide activities and events to build awareness and boost glass bottle recycling. GPI will also announce the 2011 Clear Choice Awards winners, and recognize Friends of Glass, those organizations or persons that recycle glass or promote the recycling of glass as a way to better the environment.

Recycle Glass Month is the product of the glass container industry’s efforts to promote efforts to recycle glass bottles and jars across the U.S. The industry has set a goal of using 50% recycled glass in the manufacture of new bottles by 2013. But to do that, it is essential to raise the amount of glass recycled.

“After the success of last year’s week-long event, we’re delighted to announce Recycle Glass Month 2011, which will offer even more community recycling events and ways for consumers to get involved,” said Glass Packaging Institute president, Lynn Bragg. “We’re asking consumers to recycle their glass bottles and jars to help reduce the amount of recyclable materials entering landfills and to help make new glass containers.”

In 2010, Recycle Glass Week was supported by 55 events in 20 states with 22 tons of glass collected. GPI will announce specific 2011 activities in the weeks and months ahead, including contests, recycling events, and new resources to increase recycling. To learn more about GPI and the importance of recycling glass, visit www.gpi.org/recycleglass/.

Waste Management Ad Touts Glass Recycling for Earth Day

Waste Management, a leading U.S. provider of waste hauling and recycling services, is featuring a television promo to encourage recycling your “endlessly recyclable” glass bottles and jars for Earth day. Their slogan: “Put your glass where it belongs: in the recycling bin.” Watch the ad

Find a 2011 Earth Day Event Near You

If you don’t have an Earth Day activity planned yet, it’s not too late. Get details for all the green happenings across the country and, most importantly, right in your neighborhood. The U.S. EPA web site features community events and activities that range from easy, family-friendly to more strenuous volunteer environmental cleanup opportunities. Just plug in your zip code. Check it out. And visit the Earth Day web site to pledge your act to reach their goal of a “Billion Acts of Green.” Consider a pledge to recycle your glass bottles and jars. Find out where to recycle glass near you

GPI Recognizes Senator Richard Lugar with its Friend of Glass Award

On March 25, Indiana Senator Richard Lugar was recognized with the 2011 Glass Packaging Institute Friend of Glass Award for his commitment to ensuring Indiana’s ongoing leadership in the manufacturing and recycling of glass containers. GPI President Lynn Bragg presented the award to Senator Lugar in Indianapolis, along with representatives from Indiana’s glass container manufacturing and recycling industries.

“Indiana is the country’s third largest manufacturer and recycler of glass packaging,” said GPI’s Bragg. “Senator Lugar’s national leadership in promoting good paying manufacturing and recycling jobs in both the U.S. and Indiana has been instrumental in the success of the glass packaging industry in his home state.”

The GPI Friend of Glass Award honors legislators, institutions, and organizations that recognize the important dual roles that glass container manufacturing and recycling play in the economic development and sustainment of communities throughout the country. Senator Lugar has demonstrated his support of glass manufacturing and recycling in Indiana and national efforts that promote sound policy. More

Verallia Contributes to Saint-Gobain’s ENERGY STAR® Award for Sustained Excellence

First and only glass container manufacturer to receive the award is honored for third consecutive year

Verallia North America, a leading producer of glass containers in the United States, is sharing in the honor of the 2011 ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with its parent company Saint-Gobain. All Saint-Gobain businesses in the U.S. are being recognized for their leadership in conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re thrilled to be recognized by the EPA for a third year in a row,” said Joseph R. Grewe, President and CEO with Verallia North America. “We will pursue our objective to search for and implement prudent energy management technologies that improve the environment.”

Through a wide range of energy-awareness programs, process improvements, and energy management practices, Saint-Gobain businesses in North America were able to reduce their energy intensity (the amount of energy used to produce a unit of product) by 3.8% and reduced their carbon dioxide emissions by more than 131,000 tons last year.

"Saint-Gobain's robust energy management program is a national model," said Elizabeth Craig, acting director of EPA's Office of Atmospheric Programs. "Effective energy management not only helps the bottom line, but it also is our most cost-effective greenhouse gas emission reduction strategy." More

Longhorn Glass Wraps Up $40 Million Upgrade at Houston Facility

Longhorn Glass in Houston has resumed full production after shutting down bottle making in late January to implement a $40 million capital upgrade. The project involved a re-bricking of the plant’s furnace, which now features expanded production capacity with one of the fastest glass-forming machines in the world. The plant supplies bottles to Anheuser-Busch's Houston brewery.

Longhorn had been producing approximately 820 million beer bottles a year, and the project includes a production expansion raising the total capacity by 70 million bottles per year, or about 8.5%. The plant overhaul will allow increased production from 600 bottles per minute to 700 bottles per minute on one of the lines.

Longhorn supplies approximately 90% of the Anheuser-Busch Houston brewery's requirements for the standard 12 oz. glass bottle and supplies about 65% of the brewery's total glass requirements. More

PACKAGING TRENDS

2011 Clear Choice Call for Entries Now Open

The Glass Packaging Institute invites all interested groups to enter the 2011 Clear Choice Awards, which recognizes the contribution glass packaging makes to the image, marketability, sustainability and success of food, beverage, and cosmetic products.

"Glass is a versatile, 'green' and exciting packaging material," said Lynn Bragg, GPI President. "The Clear Choice Awards allows us to recognize the innovation that is taking place within the industry and highlight the incomparable style and beauty of glass packaging."

GPI will award top package designs in the following categories: Beer; Wine; Food; Carbonated Beverage; Non-Carbonated Beverage; Distilled Spirits; Flavored Alcoholic Beverage; Organic Food or Beverage; and Fragrance/Cosmetics/Other. GPI will also choose one package design to receive the Clear Choice Award for Overall Package Design, and honor eligible entries with GPI’s Conversion Recognition.

Clear Choice Awards winners will be announced on the GPI website the week of September 11, 2011. For 2011, GPI will again hold a virtual Clear Choice Awards event. All entries must be postmarked by Saturday, July 9, 2011. Get entry details

Glass “Rules” Says Wines and Vines

Despite competition, glass bottles still rule. That’s according to the March 2011 issue of Wines & Vines feature “Looking Again at Glass,” which highlights why the “overwhelming majority of wine in North America” is sold in glass bottles.

Recent figures show that glass bottles (from 187ml to 4 liters) accounted for 82.8% of wine sales by volume for the year ending Nov. 28. Nevertheless, North American glass wine bottle suppliers continue to respond to perceived competition with greener options and glass bottle recycling programs. Wine glass bottle suppliers are turning out ever greener bottles with an improved carbon foot print.

O-I, Verallia/Saint-Gobain, and other glass suppliers now make even lighter weight glass bottles to save on manufacturing and shipping costs and using more recycled glass bottles in the manufacturing process, saving energy and reducing emissions. Shipping accounts for only 5% of the carbon footprint for modern, lightweight glass bottles. Read the full article

Verallia “Eco-Impulse” Glass Wine Bottles Surpass Ontario Standards

Verallia North America has developed the “Eco-Impulse” bottles for wine customers in the U.S. and Canada that meet the Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s (LCBO) new lightweight glass strategy for wine products.

“We were pleased to get ahead of LCBO’s timeline by creating two bottles that already meet the lighter weight standard and we were equally excited to create a luxurious look for consumer appeal,” says Bob Parise, vice-president of sales and marketing for Verallia’s wine sector. Verallia reduced the weight on two stock bottles without compromising the quality of the glass package. The ECO Impulse and the ECO Impulse Stelvin are specifically designed for the Canadian market.

Prior to the re-design, the bottles had a design weight of 475g (16.75 ounces), but with customer input and precise engineering, the new bottles have a design weight of 411 g (14.5 oz) reducing the carbon footprint and improving the ergonomic benefits for the entire industry. More

Baco’s New Fruit Juices Launch in “Green” Glass Bottles from O-I

Australian fruit juice manufacturer Baco has launched four new flavors of its Apple Tree juice in O-I glass bottles, with labels stating the bottle typically uses 30% recycled content, reduces carbon emissions by around 15%, and creates an energy saving of close to 10%.

Baco’s Managing Director, Mark Epstein, said O-I’s glass bottle helps create an environmentally responsible brand. “Glass is 100% infinitely recyclable and is the perfect packaging choice for our Apple Tree juices which are made from 100% Australian fruit juice and contain no added sugar or preservatives and no artificial flavors or colors.” More

LEGISLATION

Sen. Kerry Introduces BEER Act

Sen. Kerry (D-MA) has introduced the Brewer’s Employment and Excise Tax Relief Act (BEER Act). The legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and now supported by 17 other Senators would allow small craft brewers to pay an excise tax of $3.50 per barrel on the first 60,000 barrels of beer they produce each year. This rate is half of what the brewers currently pay. After 60,000 barrels, the excise tax would raise to $16 per barrel, until they reach 2 million barrels.

Currently, small craft breweries are defined as those who produce less than two million barrels of beer annually. The BEER Act would raise that ceiling to 6 million barrels per year.  Similar legislation was introduced last session by Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), but failed to advance.

South Carolina Bar/Restaurant Recycling Bill Advances

Legislation that would require ABC permit holders who serve alcoholic beverage on premise (bars/restaurants) to recycle their beverage containers recently passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

S.B. 461, sponsored by Sen. Cleary, aims to increase the number of glass containers recycled, and would also require ABC permit holders to file a recycling plan with the state when they renew their permits. The bill, if passed, is scheduled to take effect one year after being signed into law. If there is no available "glass container recycling markets" then glass containers sold on premise would not be subject to the law until three years later.

GPI member company Strategic Materials, Inc. testified in support of the legislation. While there are no glass bottle plants in the state, several facilities process and ship glass to plants in North Carolina and Georgia. In addition, Charleston, SC has three material recovery facilities that accept glass. Other companies in Columbia, Greenville, and Conway also accept glass on a daily basis. In FY 2010, South Carolina recycled 15,457 tons of glass. 

GLASS RECYCLING

Glass Bottle Recycling at Bars Takes off in Marion, OH

In January, after months of preparation, glass bottle recycling began at bars and restaurants in the Marion, OH (population 66,000) downtown area. The initiative was the brain child of Angela Carbetta (photo left), Director of Marion County Recycling and Litter Prevention. Seeing the amount of glass bottles that were going into trash, she decided to start a recycling program.

The program, called “Glass Act,” now collects about three tons/week of mixed glass bottles and jars for recycling from nearly 40 participating bars and restaurants. “And it’s clean,” says Carbetta. Recycled glass is going to Dlubak Glass and Rumpke’s Dayton Facility to be processed and sent to fiberglass manufacturers, as well as to container glass manufacturers for new glass bottles.

To get the program started Carbetta used a $10,000 Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention grant plus a 50% match from Ohio Galvanizing. Most of the grant funds were used for indoor collection bins—primarily slim jims—and some outdoor containers, covering these costs for participants.

The program started with about 16 participants, and continues growing.  “Once a few started, others wanted to get on board,” says Carbetta. “It was like peer pressure.”  Participating bars and restaurants include everything from the Applebee's chain to local sports bars and smaller restaurants. “My goal is to have every bar in Marion doing this and I think we are getting close,” says Carbetta. They are also planning to expand to surrounding villages. More

Standardized Recycling Bin Labels Promoted to Remove Confusion and Contamination

Recycle Across America (RAA) is promoting the use of national standardized recycling bin labels for public space recycling to help improve consumer confusion and to ensure that recyclable materials are not contaminated.

RAA’s focus is on recycling bins inside and outside office buildings, schools, churches, parks, and other areas where the public is asked to recycle. A pilot program at four school districts in the Minneapolis, MN area found that recycling increased 47% with more recycling bins and consistent labels.

RAA is using an online video to show the effect of label confusion at the bin and the resulting contamination. Inconsistent labels have shown to create consumer confusion and indifference. The resulting contamination then impacts the entire processing and economics of the recycling chain and jeopardizes, for example, the use of recycled glass to make new glass bottles.

“Our goal is to share this video and solution with converters and manufacturers that are burdened with these issues, so they can see the bigger picture of standardized labels in their industries,” says Mitch Hedlund, RAA Executive Director. As a next step, RAA its working to get an EPA grants to help schools begin using standardized recycling bin labels. They are also working with haulers and label suppliers. Watch the video

Glass Recycling Symposium Registration Deadline Nears

The Glass Manufacturing Industry Council (GMIC) will host a one-day symposium on May 19, 2011 in Savannah, GA. The event will be held in conjunction with meetings of the American Ceramic Society. It is a first step to organizing a coalition around the challenges and opportunities for U.S. glass recycling.

The goal of “Glass Recycling in America—Challenges and Opportunities” is to bring together stakeholders to focus on how to achieve more robust glass recycling in America. According to Robert Lipetz, GMIC Executive Director, “The bottom line objective is to increase the amount of glass cullet that’s available to the industry that is free of contaminants and affordable.”

Speakers will include representatives from the glass container and fiberglass industries, waste haulers, glass recycling processors, government, and other stakeholders. Get the complete agenda. Don’t miss this event. Register now.

1000 WORDS

Glass Bottle Sand Art Crafts Beautiful and Powerful Message

Watch in amazement as a craftswoman in the draught ridden northeast region of Brazil creates a most memorable message about our world’s water supply—in a glass bottle. Play video now