The glass Guelph residents place in their blue bags is now being recycled thanks to new optical sorting technology at the City of Guelph’s Waste Resource Innovation Centre.
Guelph shipped its first 15 tonnes of glass to NexCycle Industries Ltd. in Aberfoyle this morning, where it will be recycled and used for items such as concrete additive or fibreglass.
The recently completed Solid Waste Management Master Plan estimates the glass recovery system will increase Guelph’s waste diversion rate by 5.5 per cent – an improvement Mayor Karen Farbridge calls a “substantial gain.”
“This is an important step forward in getting our waste diversion rate back up where we want it to be,” said Mayor Farbridge. “It is consistent with our Solid Waste Management Master Plan, with its vision of zero waste.”
The Lubo system installed at the City’s recycling facility features a superior performing scanning technology – the TiTech Vision Sort – which will allow for better quality control, reduced contamination, and increased waste diversion.
Using the TiTech optical sorting technology, recyclable materials are analyzed by a light sensor installed over a conveyor belt. The sensor is designed to quickly identify glass based on the reflection of the material. The information obtained is then processed electronically and the materials are separated at the end of the conveyor using high-precision jets of pressurized air.
In recent years, Guelph’s glass material was sent to landfill because it was difficult to separate from the other items in the blue bag, resulting in it being contaminated with bits of paper and other materials. Contamination levels will be significantly reduced through the use of the TiTech system which has material purity rates typically between 90 and 93 per cent.
The effectiveness of the Lubo system will greatly reduce glass disposal costs. At a cost of just over $1 million, the system will pay for itself in roughly seven years.
Residents are reminded to wipe or rinse glass bottles and containers, and remove any lids, before placing the glass material in the blue bag for recycling.