British Glass has urged local authorities to continue the collection of household recycling during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It said there is a growing threat that valuable materials will be lost to landfill, as councils across the UK halt recycling collections during the pandemic.
Due to staff shortages, a number of local authorities have reduced their waste and recycling services, including recycling collections and closures of recycling sites during the coronavirus pandemic.
British Glass said that the glass packaging industry produces a product that is endlessly recyclable, and often uses recycled glass in the manufacturing process to produce new glass containers.
A fall in recycling will likely drive up the demand for carbon-intensive raw materials.
The UK Government has named the waste sector and food and drink packaging manufacturers as ‘critical sectors’ during the pandemic.
This reflects the need to continue recycling collections, as well as the capture of glass to be processed and manufactured into new packaging.
