Chamber Member and leading mineral wool insulation manufacturer, Knauf Insulation has announced plans for the construction of a modern glass cullet processing facility in St Helens.
The company has entered a long term contract with Veolia, who will construct and operate the site next to its manufacturing plant in the region.
This £10m investment by Veolia will create 18 permanent jobs in St Helens.
John Sinfield, Managing Director at Knauf Insulation Northern Europe, adds: “We are delighted to be working with Veolia on this project, which perfectly aligns our goals for sustainability and the circular economy.
“Given recent shortages impacting the construction sector, our customers can be reassured that we are working proactively upstream to further enhance the security of our supply.
“The construction of the new facility should also help grow the local economy through the creation of new jobs and the use of local firms to carry out the relevant construction work”.
The new facility will process glass and will provide Knauf Insulation with a stable supply of high quality recycled glass from packaging, a key raw material used to manufacture energy saving insulation products.
The new facility will dry and refine tens of thousands of tonnes of glass and produce a recycled standard of glass that has been cleaned and crushed into small fragments.
This ‘furnace ready’ recycled glass produces less CO2 and replaces the need to use raw materials from quarries, taking into consideration environmental factors.
Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice-President at Veolia UK & Ireland, states: “This venture with Knauf Insulation provides a closed loop solution for glass packaging from our Material Recovery Facilities.
“This will save raw materials, lessen energy demand, cut CO2 emissions and reduce the amount of materials going to landfill.
“It is set to be the first of its kind in the UK and represents a significant investment in circular thinking, new technology and jobs and will ensure we keep the highest quality of glass in circulation.”
The facility is due to open next year and will build on St Helens rich history of glass manufacturing.
