The volume of glass waste recycling at Sibsteklo increased by 1.5 times

Dear colleagues, we are publishing news about the member of the Association StekloSouz of Russia, Siberian Glass LLC (Sibsteklo):

In 2024, the glass complexes of Siberian Glass LLC (Sibsteklo, one of the leading glass container manufacturers in the Russian Federation, the largest glass waste recycler in the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts, an asset of RATM Holding) recycled 71 thousand tons of glass waste, which is equivalent to 1,090 railway cars. This is 48% more than in 2023. Thus, the enterprise saved 85.2 thousand tons of mineral resources.

– The pace is ahead: according to the standard defined by the RF Government Resolution as part of the implementation of extended producer responsibility, in 2024 glass container factories were supposed to recycle 25% of the glass packaging produced, in our case about 60 thousand tons of glass waste, – clarified Anton Mor, General Director of Sibsteklo. – In 2025, the standard will rise to 55%, that is, we will send at least 130 thousand tons of cullet to glass furnaces. Thus, in January, we returned 10 thousand tons of used glass to economic circulation.

To ensure that its characteristics meet the necessary requirements, a technological complex for processing glass waste with a capacity of up to 132 thousand tons of secondary raw materials per year was gradually put into operation at the industrial site. In the second quarter of 2025, the lines will be additionally equipped with drying drums and optical separators – for separating cullet by color. Currently, the share of glass waste in the composition of components for the production of colorless containers is 35%, brown - from 60 to a maximum of 80% (the plant was convinced of this possibility as a result of industrial experiments conducted last year).

According to Anton Mor, one of the key tasks for Sibsteklo in the near future is to enter the register of waste recyclers:

- Strict control at the entrance is established - the state must be convinced of the ability of enterprises to fulfill their recycling obligations. It is necessary to pass an inspection of the compliance of the declared recycling capacities with the actual ones, provide certificates and technical passports for the equipment, and if it is manufactured in foreign countries and some documents are missing, then their restoration takes quite a long time, as we were convinced by our own example. The rules for forming the register have been complicated in the interests of all participants in the MSW management system in order to cut off unscrupulous companies.

According to the general director of Sibsteklo, this will increase the volume of recycling. The EPR has already proven its effectiveness - in particular, secondary glass is no longer considered an illiquid fraction, and demand for it is growing. Increasing the rates of the environmental fee is also intended to stimulate further development of the segment, including the organization of MSW sorting infrastructure near apartment buildings, the construction of waste sorting complexes, processing and recycling facilities.