Glass goes Green – whatever the colour

Staff from the Centre for Environmental Studies in the Hospitality Industry at Oxford Brookes University are rolling up their sleeves and picking through the contents of rubbish bins at licensed premises across the district.



The Glass Goes Green project, which aims to reduce the vast quantity of glass that is sent to landfill, has started by measuring the amount of waste glass produced by licensed hospitality outlets in West Oxfordshire. The waste picked up from the various bars, hotels and restaurants will be taken to a local transfer station to be sorted and weighed. The team will also record the origins of the glass by type of drink, such as lager, orange juice or alcopops.



The information gained from the audit will be used to run a trial glass collection service from licensed premises in West Oxfordshire – beginning in spring 2003.



Matt Todd, project manager of Glass Goes Green, said: “Our research in West Oxfordshire showed that up to 90% of glass waste from the hospitality sector is sent to landfill, at an average cost to each establishment of £400 per year. Analysing the glass waste will help us to set up and run a trial glass collection service next year, which we hope will contribute towards a national scheme. We will also publish guidance on glass recycling for the hospitality industry.” The current project, which has received £211,762 in funding from WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme), is being run in partnership with West Oxfordshire District Council, the Hotel and Catering International Management Association, and the International Hotels Environment Initiative.



In August 2001, the team used West Oxfordshire bins to acquire the raw material for the project Waste Counts, which resulted in a handbook designed for the hospitality industry, aimed at encouraging alternative means of disposing of several different types of waste.



The Centre for Environmental Studies in the Hospitality Industry is attached to the School of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism Management at Oxford Brookes University. Its function is to research and disseminate the business benefits of sound environmental management and good practice within the hospitality industry.



WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) is a not-for-profit company supported by funding totalling £55m over three years from DEFRA, the DTI and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is working to promote sustainable waste management and to create stable and efficient markets for recycled materials and products.



For further information contact: Matt Todd (mtodd@brookes.ac.uk)