Material: Recycled Glass Issue: A successful program for re-washing recycled glass containers for use
in applications such as wine bottling depends
on overcoming a number of challenges, including
developing collection infrastructure, sorting
diverse bottle streams, achieving efficient washing,
and market penetration. Bottle washing programs may focus on a variety
of bottle types, including beer bottles, wine
bottles, or juice bottles. This Best Practice focuses on the key elements
of a wine bottle-washing program, although many
of the concepts are applicable to other containers.
A successful bottle-washing program requires
the integration of collection and supply infrastructure,
sorting protocols, and equipment selection. Best Practice: Historically, bottles were manufactured to heavy specifications
as returnables.
Today, most glass containers are manufactured
as one-way containers, not intended to withstand
the rigors of multiple re-washings.
Wine bottles remain an exception.
Wine bottles manufactured in the United
States generally have the same weight as those
manufactured in Europe, where washing wine bottles
is a common procedure.
Because it contains a non-pressurized liquid,
a wine bottle does not have the same potential
to break from pressure, as does a defective container
of beer or soda. However, the development of coated glass bottles
may lead to lighter weight wine bottles as well. In addition, only regions with an adequate
wine production industry are potential locations
for wine bottle washing facilities.
Finally, wine bottles wholesale for 35˘-40˘
each, while beer bottles cost only about 10˘,
so washing may be more economically feasible for
wine bottles. The collection of bottles must
be structured to maximize the recovery of usable
containers. Certain municipal curbside programs, including
those in Berkeley, California and Reno, Nevada
have had success segregating wine bottles from
residential waste streams. Separation is performed by drivers who place
unbroken wine bottles into dedicated bins on collection
trucks. The bottles are then transferred without dumping
to avoid breakage.
Compensation for recycling collection programs
for the collected bottles must be adequate to
allow this extra handling.
Commercial accounts such as restaurants
and bars also are a good source of bottles and
are generally open to setting up dedicated containers
for source separation, probably for free.
Bottlers themselves also produce a regular
stream of unused bottles due either to off-spec
product runs, or overstocks of bottles from discontinued
runs. These bottles can be obtained in large quantities
and in similar types, reducing sorting costs for
the re-washing facility. Proper sorting of collected
bottles is critical to assure a feasible bottle
washing program. Wine bottles are made in dozens of shapes and
colors, and selection of bottles for washing should
be keyed to the market needs of the program's
customer base.
Primary sorting on the dirty-end of the
operation is necessary to limit the number of
unsalable bottles washed.
Additional sorting can be accomplished
on the washed-end, and can be done manually or
automatically, although automated sorting equipment
is costly. Equipment selection is extremely
important in determining the future success of
a program. This is a business based on a single large
unitary piece of equipment processing many small
inexpensive items, so continuous flow is critical.
Most bottle-washing equipment uses a pressure
wash or soak of hot caustic solution to clean and sterilize
bottles. The
caustic soak is followed by a number of rinses
with fresh water. The bottle washing equipment must be able to accomplish the most
significant operational issue - the removal of
different label types and label adhesives (see Removing Label Adhesives
in Bottle Washing
Best Practice). Some bottle washing equipment
can be purchased "off the shelf," while
some equipment is custom manufactured.
Most small-scale equipment (less than 100
containers per minute) is manufactured in Europe. Some used small-scale equipment may be found
from defunct milk bottle washing businesses.
The type of equipment that is appropriate
for a program will depend on the types of bottles
to be washed and the bottle specifications of
the customers.
It is often wise to obtain technical assistance
when selecting equipment in order to find (or
develop) equipment specifications that match the
needs of the customers. Some bottle washing equipment may still be
available on the used equipment markets, but most
container washing programs closed in the 1970’s
or earlier, so equipment is becoming more and
more rare. Market penetration should combine
"green" marketing - efforts to highlight
the environmentally benign advantages of re-used
bottles over virgin substitutes - with a strict
focus on customer service.
Quality assurance strategies must be put
into place to minimize off-spec product and to
generate customer loyalty.
Finally, locating the bottle washing operation
in close proximity to target markets, and to sources
of bottles, will help keep transportation costs
low. Implementation: Implementation of a bottle-washing
program will require the development of partnerships
with municipal collection programs and commercial
generators. Working with uniform commercial bottle streams
or focused collection efforts offers the most
control over problematic variables such as unusable
bottles and contamination. This is a capital-intensive, labor-intensive business, so proper
planning is critical.
It has been suggested that the most likely
sustainable structure for a container washing
business could be as a producers’ cooperative,
with the special tax treatment afforded by the
government to such entities. Benefits: As late as 1947, virtually 100% of all beverage bottles
were returnable, illustrating the possible favorable
economics of bottle re-use.
The energy efficiency of bottle washing
versus manufacturing new containers has been well-established.1
Whether the collection infrastructure can be re-established,
producers can be convinced, and consumers will
once again accept re-washed bottles remains to
be seen. Application
Sites: Bottle
washing facilities, bottling companies.
Contact: For more information about this Best Practice, contact
CWC, mailto:info@cwc.org. References:
1.
Evans,
Dick, CGC/ENCORE, INC., Richmond, California 94804.
A Model Bottle Washing Program, Clean Washington Center,
1994 Final Report: EPA Jobs-Through-Recycling (JTR) Grant Project, Skookum Enterprises, 1996
Issue
Date / Update: November 1996
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