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Special new recycling bins have been installed in the Down Grange car park, off Pack Lane. The 'RESCAPE' banks replace the old style bottle banks and are designed to improve the appearance of recycling sites.
With 4 other recycling sites in Kempshott to choose from, recycling all of your glass bottles and jars could be your 2008 New Years resolution!!
Most households in Kempshott will use over 300 glass bottles and jars this year. Recycling them all would save enough energy to use a washing machine over 100 times!
But have you ever wondered what happens to your glass after you have dropped it off at the bottle bank?
When the bank is full, all of the glass is taken down to Southampton and then broken into chips or what is known as ‘cullet’ in the recycling trade. It’s then shipped onward for recycling. 2000 tonnes can be loaded onto one ship, which is the equivalent of 100 lorries, so one ship load means we’re taking 100 lorries off the motorways.
When the glass arrives at the recycling plant, it is cleaned and any contamination, such as plastic, labels or metal, is removed.
The cullet is then mixed with the other raw materials needed to make glass – sand, soda ash and limestone – and melted together at high temperatures.
As much as 90% recycled cullet can be used to make new glass bottles and jars, and the higher the proportion of recycled cullet, the lower the heat that is required to melt it. This means using more recycled cullet uses less raw materials and less energy.
The molten glass is then cut into individual pieces called ‘gobs’, which are then blown into bottles and jars of all shapes and sizes. After being cooled and safety checked, the jars and bottles are sent off to be filled, ready to be back on the supermarket shelf.
Glass facts:
· Recycling just three bottles saves enough energy to power a TV for an hour – that’s the evening news!
· Blue glass goes into the green bottle bank
· Last year, residents in Basingstoke and Deane recycled over 2000 tonnes of glass bottles and jars
· Drinking glasses, Pyrex products and lights bulbs should not be placed in the bottle banks. This is because this type of glass melts at a higher temperature than glass bottle and jars.
· Glass should not be placed in your green recycling bin as the paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, tins and cans are hand sorted and broken glass could be dangerous. If you cannot take it to your nearest bottle bank, please put it into your black rubbish bin.
Recycling Sites in Kempshott:
- Down Grange Sports Centre Car Park, Pack Lane
- Basingstoke Rugby Club Car Park, Coniston Road
- Kempshott Village Hall Car Park, Pack Lane
- Buckingham Parade Shops, Old Down Close
- Sainsbury’s Supermarket
(Article supplied by Kempshott Kourier) |
