Fiberglass insulation manufacturer Owens Corning increased its use of recycled materials in 2021. | Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock
A bottle maker received money to help the company use more recycled glass, and a fiberglass insulation manufacturer increased its use of cullet last year. The following are recent headlines related to recovered glass end users.
Canada finances bottle maker’s project
The Canadian government had invested 3.5 million Canadian dollars (nearly $2.8 million) in O-I Canada Corp., a glass bottle manufacturing company, to help it modernize its Montreal plant and increase its use of recycled material.
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) gave a loan to O-I Canada so the company can get digital production equipment to increase the amount of recycled glass it uses, a press release said.
O-I Canada is a branch of U.S.-based O-I Glass, which recycles and manufactures a range of glass containers for the alcoholic beverage and food industries.
The Montreal expansion project will divert up to 75,000 tons of glass from landfills annually, the press release said.
Nicola Porrazzo, senior plant manager at O-I Canada, said in the press release that the facility has produced glass packaging in Quebec since 1905 and “our family of proud glassmakers includes second- and third-generation employees who support us in our vision to be the most innovative, sustainable and chosen supplier of glass packaging.”
Owens Corning ups use of recycled materials
Fiberglass insulation manufacturer Owens Corning increased its use of recycled materials in 2021, making progress on its sustainability goals.
In 2021, the company used 1.4 billion pounds of glass cullet, up from 1.3 billion in 2020, its annual sustainability report said.
In addition to recovered glass, Owens Corning uses recycled plastic and other materials in its products. Overall, the average recycled content of the company’s products remained flat in 2021 compared to 2020, at 10%, though Owens Corning used more material overall in 2021.
The total weight of materials used in 2021 was about 8.4 million metric tons, compared to 6.8 million metric tons in 2020. That means in 2021, 840,000 metric tons of recycled materials were used to manufacture the company’s insulation, roofing tiles and other items.
Owens Corning’s fiberglass insulation ranges from a minimum of 53% recycled content to a high of 73% recycled content.
Arkansas glass recycling facility considered
Epic Glass Recycling of Little Rock and Aero Aggregates are looking at building a $20 million glass processing facility in central Arkansas.
The joint venture would employ about 50 people and create a foamed glass aggregate for use by building and road construction companies. Foamed glass aggregate is a grout gravel or rock substitute made from 100% recycled glass. It weighs much less than rock.
Aero Aggregates’ foamed glass aggregate was recently used for paving at Philadelphia International Airport.
Property has not yet been purchased for the Arkansas plant, and so the timeframe of when the facility may be up and running is undetermined.
More stories about glass
- Design for recycling in cosmetic glass packaging
- Recycling trade platform expands offerings
- Glass plant closure causes regional market strife
