Orora has invested in a $25 million glass beneficiation plant located adjacent to its glass facility in Gawler, South Australia.
The glass beneficiation plant was officially opened last month by South Australia Deputy Premier, the Hon Susan Close.
The plant will increase Orora’s collection of recycled glass and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Through container deposit schemes, the glass beneficiation plant processes used glass to create cullet, which is then transferred to the Orora Gawler glass plant to be put through the furnaces and created into new glass containers.
The plant allows Orora to process up to 150,000 tonnes of glass each year – which is equivalent to approximately 330 million wine bottles or 750 million beer bottles.
The plant will allow Orora to access more recycled glass from across Australia, therefore reducing the amount of glass that ends up in landfills as well as lowering its greenhouse gas emissions.
Currently, Orora sources around 80% of South Australia’s available cullet through container deposit schemes, 100% of Western Australia’s available cullet, and additional cullet through other states.
As part of Orora’s Sustainability focus, Orora is committed to achieving 60% recycled content for glass beverage containers (pre and post-consumer) by 2025.
Orora has also committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and has an interim goal of a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
Additionally, Orora intends to implement Oxy-Fuel furnace technology with its next furnace rebuild in 2024, which will move the furnace into the top 10% of energy efficient glass furnaces worldwide.
See below for a video on Orora's glass beneficiation plant.
