Glass Recycling

Each year we transform around 5 million tonnes of waste glass into high-purity cullet for reuse in the container glass industry and a range of other applications.

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about

Recycled glass (cullet) enables container glass manufacturers to reduce energy costs, CO₂ emissions and virgin material consumption, as well as diverting waste glass from landfill.

Sibelco is a key global player in glass recycling, each year transforming around 5 million tonnes of waste glass into high-purity cullet via over 60 recycling facilities across Belgium, France, Italy, UK, Poland, Estonia, USA, Canada and Mexico.

Our unique process removes metals, plastics, paper and cardboard from incoming waste, before sorting the remaining glass by size and purity. Optical sorting technology then removes undesired materials such as ceramics, stones, porcelain, crystal glass and heat-resistant glass. Depending on local market requirements, optical sorters can separate the cullet into four distinct colours:

Clear (99% flint)

Green (mixed cullet)

Amber (max 60% mixed cullet)

Dead Leaf (low chromium oxide content)

Most of our cullet products return to the container glass industry for re-melting, enabling customers to complete a valuable closed-loop recycling process.

Other applications include:

float glass

perfume bottles

flooring

glass wool

reflective materials

water filtration

fillers

abrasives

Download our

glass recycling brochure

for Europe.

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Glass Recycling North America

Having already established a leading position in glass recycling in Europe, our acquisition of Strategic Materials Inc. (SMI) in 2024 positions Sibelco as a leader on the global stage, demonstrating our commitment to the circular economy whilst expanding our capacity to supply high-quality cullet to an even wider range of industries.

Learn more about Sibelco Glass Recycling North America