Maltha Glass Recycling, a subsidiary of Dutch waste management company Renewi, is installing a new recycling line to process PVB (polyvinyl butyral) at its facility in Lommel, Belgium. The new line will enable the company to extract additional glass from the resin, which is commonly used in safety glass, and increase its overall recycling rate. Around 30 per cent of the expected project cost of €2.89m would be provided by the Flemish government, said Renewi.
Due to its toughness, binding properties and optical clarity, PVB resin is commonly used in laminated glass for automotive and architectural applications. Until now, the resin separated during glass recycling and any residual glass have often been sent to landfill. With the added recycling capability, Maltha was positioning itself as a partner for upstream customers and enabling them to achieve their long-term environmental objectives, said Renewi.
The Lommel recycling facility processes around 6,000 tonnes of PVB annually, according to Renewi, and the new production line is expected to boost the site's recycling rate by 4.2 per cent. Across its operations, Maltha’s overall recycling rate would rise from 97.4 per cent to 97.8 per cent, said the waste management company.
"We are thrilled to make this investment in PVB recycling," said Kevin Bell, managing director at Maltha Glass Recycling. "Maltha is committed to help advancing the circular economy across a range of industries in Europe. This achievement is also perfectly aligned with our waste-to-product strategy and our focus on recycling."
Renewi called the investment a significant milestone for Maltha, noting that it would enable the company to continue fostering the circular economy in various industries across Europe.
