Glass Loop Movement Targets Recycling And Waste Reduction
Over 25,000 tonnes of glass beverage containers are disposed of annually.
The Glass Loop Movement aims to address this.
Data from a 2022 base characterisation and central study revealed that 560,000 tonnes of materials that are entering our landfills are considered recyclable.
Based on this, the Solid Waste Management Company Limited (SWMCOL), through the Glass Loop Movement, aims not only to make money from the collection, recycling, and reusing of glass bottles, but also to use it as a means of raising awareness of the environmental benefits.
Programme Director for the Glass Loop Movement, Adanna Taylor, highlighted how much of a resource glass is, considering its infinite recyclable nature.
« Every year, the equivalent of over 200 million glass bottles are disposed, and sadly only a small percentage of those bottles are recovered. The rest part depends on a non-village or non-urban environment where a resource with enormous potential is simply lost. And that is what glass is, a resource. Glass is infinitely recyclable. It can be recycled again and again and again, without losing its quality or purity. »
Moving towards a more sustainable economy, Ms. Taylor stressed that the very nature of glass is ideal in creating a circular economy.
« A glass bottle can become another bottle, and then another, and then another, forming a true circular loop of production and reuse. In fact, glass is the only truly sustainable packaging material for beverages. It is made from natural materials, it is inert and safe, and it can return to the production cycle endlessly. When we recycle glass, we reduce waste, conserve raw materials, and lower energy consumption in the manufacturing process. »
The movement will champion the placement of bins across different parts of the country, where glass materials can be discarded.
« The Glass Loop Movement is about unlocking potential here in Trinidad and Tobago. Through this initiative, glass collection bins will be placed across Trinidad and Tobago in public locations and at participating on-premises sites. These bins will make it easier than ever for our citizens and businesses to return their used glass bottles and ensure their proper disposal. But infrastructure alone, sadly, will not create meaningful change. Real change will come from people. »
Manager of Recycling and Recovery at the Solid Waste Management Company Limited, Terri-Ann Carter La Fon, stressed that the focus is not only on reducing waste, but also on creating sustainable waste management systems.
« It is not the absence of recyclable material, but the capture of that recyclable material. Sustainable waste management is not about reducing waste alone. It is about how we effectively recover what we already have. Improving recovery is central to a sustainable system. Every tonne of material diverted represents a reduction in landfill dependence and a step towards a more sustainable approach to waste and resource management. »
