Average EU27 + UK collection for glass packaging recycling hits record rate of 80% in 2020.
This represents an increase of 2% points compared to 2019, with nine countries already achieving over the 90% collection target.
The latest value chain data was released yesterday in Close the Glass Loop’s two-year anniversary event, in which Adeline Farrelly, Secretary General of FEVE (the European Container Glass Federation), was in attendance.
She said: “2020 has been a peculiar year. With the Covid pandemic, we have witnessed changing consumption and collection patterns with the glass waste stream shifting from the hospitality sector – a major consumption channel for glass – to households. The latest collection rate demonstrates the strong resilience of the glass packaging value chain despite this challenging context.”
She added that if the rate of growth continued, Close the Glass Loop could achieve its target by 2025. However, she emphasised this would require “keeping up the good work” as well as further investments.
The multi-stakeholder partnership Close the Glass Loop aims to achieve a post-consumer glass container collection target of 90% by 2030, and to ensure that this is recycled into the container glass production loop.
The vast majority of the 13.8 million tonnes collected go back to remelt new bottles and jars.
Marine Ronquetti, Secretary General of FERVER (European Federation of Glass Recyclers), said: “The 2020 statistics confirm our steady progress towards reaching our ambitious objectives on glass recycling. We are convinced that the pathway set by the Close the Glass Loop platform to establish a strong collaboration along the glass packaging value chain, at European level but also at national level, is key to ensure that we collect more and better-quality glass.”
See full-sized map below.
