Bottles get smashed in pub

Compact crusher boosts glass recycling

Q. What happens to that empty wine bottle after your candlelit dinner in the high street restaurant?

A. It goes straight to landfill. At least, that’s the case in most restaurants – and pubs, too. Used glass bottles have been found to make up almost half of the average restaurant’s bin by weight.

Busy patrons say the sheer volume involved makes it impractical to recycle empties. A case for legislation, perhaps – but meanwhile, the Little Smasher might help. It’s a compact bottle crusher designed to fit alongside bins under a bar or anywhere else convenient.

Designed by Smash and Grab Recycling, it cuts glass volume by 80% – meaning fewer lorry trips to landfill . With the backing of the Enhance programme (supported by the London Development Authority and delivered by London Remade and the London Community Recycling Network), it’s being rolled out across the capital, and has processed the equivalent of half a million wine bottles since its launch in 2006.

 

19 September 2007

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