Consumers Glass faced a challenge in 1989 when curbside programmes turned on and started to collect container glass material in volumes never experienced before. The practice of making household-sourced glass container recycling work posed all kinds of challenges. History bears the proof that when everyone involved cooperated by partnering, a system of success ensued. As enthralled with the results as we all were, we now find ourselves at another crossroads. Did we fail? No. But it is time to move on to face the next level of challenge, to make sustainable the use of recycled glass, and other materials.
Consumers Glass has had to break with our traditional mindset that focused on the product we manufacture, the glass container. Our production process, although tangential, is really a two-part process. We make glass and then we mold containers out of glass. Our policy was to do everything that was reasonable to bring back used glass containers to one of our plants and manufacture new bottles out of "old". We were thinking "bottles, jars, glass containers - our product".
Over time new information has surfaced, and new ways of thinking about glass containers has arisen. A number of factors caused this to come about. One is life cycle assessment, an emerging tool that forces one to look at manufacturing not as end product but on a holistic, systematic picture. Two is the recognition that subsidized systems are not sustainable, as attractive to some as they may be. Another is the understanding that a solution to waste management cannot be sustained if it causes other problems to flare up, like greenhouse gases. These factors have brought to light the need for us to think differently. We cannot maintain our policy to insist on closing the loop on glass containers by having all the bottles shipped back to us regardless of where they are in Canada. Instead, we are starting to share options that look at container glass as a raw material, to foster solutions that have common and local sense. That's why in this issue we are introducing our change in thinking. "Container glass as a raw material." What are your thoughts?
Doug Symington is Director of Public Affairs for Consumers Glass.
He is available at 416-232-3214, by fax at 416-232-3274, or e-mail: dsymingt@consumersglass.com
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