Glass manufacturers seek funding for research center | Grove works to make laundry more sustainable | The Netherlands joins European glass recycling group
March 20, 2024
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Industry News
Robert Kunkle, Rocky Mountain Bottle Company plant manager and Glass Packaging Institute board member, was recognized last week by The Beer Institute with the Best in Brew award. Kunkle received the award for his efforts in establishing local glass recycling campaigns, with O-I, Glass managing director Tim Connors highlighting how Kunkle "demonstrates his passion for the beer and packaging industry by actively promoting increased recycling through working with local governments, breweries, and if necessary, even picking up the glass recycling bins himself."
Full Story: KDVR-TV (Denver) (3/15) 
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The Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium, a group of 12 Ohio-area glass manufacturers and organizations, is seeking $31.4 million in funding from the state of Ohio to build a Glass Center of Excellence focused on researching and solving industry problems including sustainability, product performance, cost and recycling optimization. If the grant is approved by the state, the consortium will also commit $10.5 million in funding to construct the research center in northern Ohio.
Full Story: Glass International online (3/13) 
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E-commerce brand Grove Collaborative is among a group of brands that are at the forefront of making laundry detergent packaging more sustainable with its offering of a refillable glass and silicone dispenser. Although the market for reusable and refillable containers is still new, a report from Precedence Research projects that the sector could be worth $2 billion by 2032.
Full Story: Packaging Dive (3/12) 
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The Netherlands became a member last month of the Close the Glass Loop partnership, an industry platform run by the European Container Federation, which aims to increase glass collection and recycling in the EU to 90% by 2030. Adeline Farrelly, secretary general of FEVE, welcomed the Netherlands to the European partnership, noting "[T]he long tradition of glass collection and recycling in the Netherlands will be beneficial to other partners, and this exchange of best practices is a key part of our work to enhance sustainability throughout the glass packaging value chain."
Full Story: Glass International online (3/14) 
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Ardagh Glass Packaging - Europe recently partnered with Forglass Manufacturing on repairs to three forehearths at its furnace at its production facility in Gostyn, Poland. The project, which was completed on time and on budget, was the latest collaboration between the two companies, which have partnered on several other projects.
Full Story: Glass International online (3/13) 
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Regulatory & Legislative Update
The Senate voted unanimously last week to approve two bipartisan bills -- the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act -- which aim to expand recycling infrastructure, accessibility and data collection. Companion legislation to both bills has been introduced in the House of Representatives, but similar legislation introduced in the House last year failed to make it past a committee hearing.
Full Story: Recycling Today (3/14) 
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Several packaging industry organizations, including the Glass Packaging Institute, have announced their opposition to the EPA's new regulations that would decrease annual limits on emissions of fine particulate matter, saying that the new limits would put jobs and economic growth at risk and would be counterproductive in limiting actual emissions. GPI president Scott DeFife noted that the glass manufacturing industry could cut emissions of fine particulate matter by using more recycled glass, but said that "[f]uture required technology and equipment to comply will largely depend on where the plant is located" and whether the area is expected to exceed the new standards.
Full Story: Packaging Dive (3/18) 
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A Rhode Island General Assembly commission on waste reduction heard last week from Jules Bailey, a former Oregon legislator, on the success of Oregon's bottle bill and the takeaways for implementing a similar program. Bailey highlighted the relationship between a higher 10-cent deposit and increased redemption rates and noted that a similar program could be implemented in Rhode Island within three or four years.
Full Story: The Providence Journal (R.I.) (3/14) 
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Recycling & Sustainability
Following a long search for an affordable option for glass recycling, Lewis County, Tenn., has partnered with Strategic Materials for a three-year partnership to recycle glass containers. "This will not only benefit the environment, but it will also help our Solid Waste budget, which in turn benefits every resident and business in Lewis County," said County Mayor Jonah Keltner of the program, which is projected to save the county $15,000 annually. Full Story: Lewis County Herald (3/14) 
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Plastic production poses a significant danger to both human health and the environment, from the greenhouse gas emissions associated with production to the microplastics that are toxic to people and animals, write Massachusetts state Sen. Jason Lewis and Rep. Michelle Ciccolo, co-chairs of the Zero Waste Caucus. Massachusetts must do more to decrease its reliance on plastic, including updating its bottle deposit law, creating an extended producer responsibility system and banning single-use plastics, Lewis and Ciccolo write.
Full Story: The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model) (3/18) 
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If there's one thing I have always hated, it's being told what to do.
Fran Lebowitz,
writer, public speaker
March is Women's History Month
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