Glass recycling proposals sought by Resource Recovery Fund Board

The Resource Recovery Fund Board has put out acall for companies to come up with new recycling proposals
for its glass beverage containers.

The provincial agency collects 9,000 metric tonnesof glass every yearthrough Enviro-Depots, but glass is costly to shipbecause it's heavy, has to be sorted by colourand is difficultto turn back into bottles.

The material is not a money-maker.

"We actually have to pay to have them taken for thecost of transporting and processing, so they are a challenge," said Jeff MacCullum,RRFB's CEO.

Glass can't be landfilled in N.S.

According to documents obtained by CBC News through theFreedom of Information Act,the Halifax region does not
make any money from the glass it collects in its blue bagseither.

"In Fredericton, they haven't collected glass for manyyears, they just landfill it," said Ken Donnelly, a consultant in
the waste and recycling industry."They just feel it's inert, so in the landfill it doesn't cause any problems."

Glass is banned from Nova Scotia landfills by theprovince, so other alternatives are needed.

"Glass can be used for underbedding for roads." saidDonnelly."I've been in the U.K.They've used it for sand
blasting."

The RRFB is hoping companies come forward withlocal or regional proposals, but there are challenges.

"Gravel and sand are dirt cheap in Nova Scotia, so it makes it difficult when you look at the processing costs," saidMacCallum.

According to Donnelly, there are ways for municipalitiesto create their own markets.

"When I worked in Durham, companies that did pavingwork for the municipality were required to use 10 per cent of its ground glass mixed with the gravel in the road beds," he said.

The RRFB wants interested companies to submitglass recycling proposals by the end of the month.