Glass recycling - we save nature and earn money. Recycling of glass bottles and jars into new factories accepting glass containers for recycling

Nowadays, the standard disposal of any waste is an inefficient and dangerous undertaking. Garbage emits toxic substances that are harmful to both humans and all wildlife.

In addition, there are very few enterprises involved in the processing of waste, including glass, on the domestic market. In this regard, many economists are convinced that such a business may soon become very popular. Especially given the harm that recycling does to the environment.

Relevance of the issue

Many countries in the world devote Special attention waste recycling. After all, the reuse of any raw material is always an opportunity to save on its production. In addition to saving, recycling also helps to avoid the accumulation of household and industrial waste, which means that the burden on the environment is reduced.

Glass plays an important role in the recycling market. This material is used for a wide variety of purposes, such as in the construction industry and in the food industry. A great variety of products of varying degrees of complexity are made from glass. Therefore, glass processing is very relevant.

Thus, the glass recycling business is quite a lucrative business. This thesis is strengthened by the fact that the authorities always have a positive attitude towards such enterprises, especially given their small number. So, let's consider such a business idea in more detail.

Glass processing equipment

Of course, the first step before starting your own business is to purchase equipment for glass processing. When cleaning this material from impurities, sieves of different sizes are used, and a crushing plant is needed for grinding.

A conveyor is needed to move material to different processing locations within a plant. In addition, it is worth taking care of the purchase of air apparatus and a smelting furnace.

The advantage of this business is a small number of required staff. At each stage, a dozen people are enough to perform specific duties.

Video of the whole process (including credits):

Most often, experts recommend using domestic equipment, which is of high quality, but at the same time it is inexpensive. In addition, you can also purchase used foreign-made devices or their Russian counterparts. The cost of such equipment does not exceed seventy thousand rubles, and the quality and durability remain at a high level.

Waste sorting

First of all, glass is sorted by color, and only then by the type of its manufacture (ordinary or ceramic). Before crushing, the material is cleaned of impurities such as dirt, metal or stones. After direct grinding, a second, more complex and complex cleaning is carried out. And only after the implementation of all the described steps, you can start remelting.

Business organization

What is the essence of the work of such an enterprise? Despite the fact that glass recycling technology may seem like a rather complex and multifaceted process, the most difficult thing in this business is sorting out different types of raw materials. All this turns out to be unimportant and not too expensive, because the result is a material that is not inferior to new glass in quality. So, it can be successfully used or sold.

Before launching a glass processing plant, it is necessary to prepare a special site that meets state standards and labor protection standards. We are talking about high fences, a large container for sorting material and an entrance that is optimal for successful delivery. In addition, it is very important that the plant be located at a sufficient distance from settlements, because the noise level during its operation exceeds city standards.

It is best to use a room located near the landfill as a processing workshop. So, both the outskirts of the city and any industrial zone are suitable. However, it must be remembered that residential buildings, according to regulations, must be located at a distance of at least six hundred meters from the enterprise.

Delivery is an important factor. To do this, you can use your own fleet of vehicles or sign an agreement with a transport company. It is also possible to organize delivery by public utilities.

As a warehouse, it is recommended to use a room not too large sizes: about a hundred square meters quite enough. However, the workshop will need a much larger footage. We are talking about at least five hundred square meters.

As in any business, without start-up capital in this case not enough. After all, the most difficult part of production, as already mentioned, is glass sorting. And this is done by workers who will need to pay wages. It is also necessary to set specific prices for the purchase of glass waste.

The most important part of organizing a business will be the delivery of raw materials. To begin with, it is recommended to accept glass waste at a small distance from the recycling point. You will need a truck that can load as much glass as possible in one go.

The profitability of the recycling business can be seen in a few months after its launch. Presumably, that's when all the start-up costs will pay off. It is worth remembering that the payback is directly proportional to the turnover. So, its period is longer, the larger the turnover. Deep processing of glass waste, at the same time, brings the greatest profit.

Expenses

A colossal amount of money will have to be paid for the construction of a large processing facility. But according to economists, even more modest enterprises can bring tangible benefits. So, the organization of such a workshop will have to spend no more than three hundred thousand US dollars.

The arrangement of warehouses and industrial premises will take about two thousand dollars. It is important to ensure that they comply sanitary standards and fire safety standards. If you place a workshop near a residential area, you can save on the delivery of raw materials, because local residents will bring them to you (it is enough to organize the reception of broken glass in containers).

As already mentioned, the sorting line, crusher and all other equipment can be purchased for only 70-80 thousand rubles.

Documentation

The glass recycling business must be run legally. So, before starting work on arranging the premises, take care of obtaining a license from the Ministry of Ecology. According to this legislation, any waste processing activity must undergo a mandatory environmental impact assessment. The conclusion of this examination is usually issued for the entire period of operation of the enterprise.

Of course, you also need permission from the sanitary and fire services. In addition, the entire manufacturing process must be clearly described in the design documents.

It will take about six months to collect all these acts and resolutions. Be prepared for quarterly inspections from the local environmental organization, sanitary and epidemiological station, firefighters and other government agencies.

Working staff

The number of workers needed depends on the scale of production. On average, about forty people are enough to organize the rejection, sorting and grinding of raw materials. You will also need separate staff to receive broken glass.

All of this work is done by hand. Therefore, it is important to hire qualified workers, because they will have to determine by eye where to sort this or that unit of raw materials. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the need to train newcomers and monitor the work at each individual stage of production.

Your potential clients

First of all, municipal authorities will be interested in your services. After all, it is important for the city to process raw materials on time, if possible, in order to avoid the accumulation of landfills.

In addition, various glass enterprises that have nowhere to store will transfer their waste to you. broken glass.

After all, the implementation of unauthorized emissions on their part leads to administrative liability.

You can offer the owner of such an enterprise the organization of the export of their recyclable materials. If you claim less than what they spend on their own disposal, you will get a permanent source of income.

A variety of organizations will buy recycled raw materials from you to produce their products (eg light bulbs, bottles, etc.).

Glass cullet processing – very profitable business. Despite certain financial costs, it will become profitable within a year after the start of production. And if you manage to establish business relations with local enterprises, a good income will be provided. In this case, you will be directly dependent on the supply of raw materials from such enterprises, so it is important to maintain mutually beneficial relations with them so as not to lose money.

High profitability of the recycling business ( we are talking about eighty-two per cent) is due, among other things, to the absence of competitors.

Glass objects surround us in everyday life, at work and leisure, at home and at a party. Windows make it possible to fill the premises sunlight. Glass containers keep healthy foods. Bottles with cosmetics and perfumery are made of this material. There are also a lot of glassware.

And all this sooner or later breaks down, becomes obsolete or simply ceases to meet the needs. The question arises - what to do with such products? It is not so easy to answer it. Glass recycling is not possible in living conditions. Organized and professional disposal is essential. Then the result will meet not only the needs of the customer, but also the requirements of the state.

Rules

According to the norms of Federal laws No. 7 "On the protection environment” as amended on March 12, 2014, No. 2395-1 “On Subsoil” as amended on June 23, 2016 and No. 89-FZ “On Production and Consumption Wastes” as amended on November 25, 2013 all companies, production which is associated with the appearance of glass waste, are required to conclude an agreement for their export and processing. Well, all other enterprises, as well as individuals, are subject to the Code on administrative offenses(Code of Administrative Offenses) of the Russian Federation, according to which a fine in the amount of 5 to 200 thousand rubles can be imposed for garbage disposal in unauthorized places.

Benefit

Export of glass for further sorting and processing is an objectively useful process. First, cullet not removed properly can lead to injuries to residents or personnel. Secondly, it is possible to avoid problems, both legal and organizational. And the process of glass remelting itself implies the presence of rather expensive and energy-intensive equipment. It makes no sense to acquire it and use it for non-specialized companies. But the specialized organization will be able to carry out the export of glass on time, and then carry out its disposal.

By the way, according to statistics, in the total volume of solid household waste that end up in city dumps every day, glass takes up to 20%. At the same time, cullet will occupy space for many years. The independent half-life can take tens of years. And the accumulation of glass leads to a deterioration of the ecological situation in the region. Therefore, glass recycling is important and even necessary.

Peculiarities

Glass as an artificial material consists of a number of substances. These are sand, limestone, sodium carbonate and many other additives. Glass recycling involves the sequential execution of certain operations. For example, first carry out a thorough cleaning of the glass. The cullet is then crushed, melted and finally sent to secondary production. It is difficult to obtain pure glass or a mirror from such raw materials. But you can make foam glass. From it create warm and beautiful partitions inside buildings and premises.

All the client needs is to order a service from a specialized company. For example, the recycling of glass in Moscow and the Moscow region is ready to be carried out by the ECOUMWELT company. Our employees will independently take out the cullet or take it to the warehouse, and issue the required documents. Everything else they will do themselves.

Entrepreneurs who are looking for their profitable business niche should pay attention to underdeveloped sector economic activity – recycling of industrial and household waste.

This type of activity involves the collection and processing of a variety of garbage, production waste and used packaging into new products.

Among all types of recyclable materials, used glass containers are not the last in terms of volumes of waste that can be reused and make good money on it, since competition in this sector of the Russian economy is minimal.

Recycling glass waste as a business, subject to a competent approach to the entire technological cycle, from the collection of raw materials to production and marketing finished products, will bring good profit.

The main thing in this business is a properly designed and implemented business project that allows you to plan activities and optimize costs and income.

In addition, any waste recycling company can count on state support and subsidies, since this type of activity improves the ecology of the environment and conserve non-renewable natural resources.

In most subjects Russian Federation exist targeted programs support for entrepreneurs involved in waste processing.

They consist in the issuance of grants, subsidies to pay off part of the interest on loan rates and reduce the tax burden.

In contrast to previous years, the recycling of good glass containers almost vanished. Most enterprises in Russia pack their products in new bottles, cans and other containers.

Therefore, there are no problems with the feedstock. In addition, the industry and construction industry produces large volumes of glass waste suitable for recycling.

In such conditions, it is a sin not to take advantage of the situation and not open a profitable business for the production of glass cullet products or simply for subsequent resale.

We will consider the prospects for such a business and the types of products that can be produced from glass waste.

Glass debris is a practically non-degradable material. It takes hundreds of years for nature to turn this waste into environmentally friendly silicon dust.

Consider positive sides processing glass recyclables into new products.

1. Recycling of cullet is a very useful technological process in terms of environmental safety. In addition, the reduction in the area occupied by landfills and landfills where glass waste is placed leads to an increase in areas for the placement of the necessary infrastructure facilities.
2. Inorganic mineral glass is made from a mixture of quartz sand (silica), soda (sodium oxide), lime (calcium oxide) and other necessary impurities. Recycling glass waste can drastically reduce the use of these non-renewable natural resources.
3. The production of finished products from cullet requires less energy and initial mineral raw materials, which leads to savings in natural gas and electricity, and consequently, to a reduction in the cost of production. This increases the competitiveness of finished products.

All these advantages of recycling glass waste allow us to confidently say that this type of activity not only brings a good income, but also is a public benefit preserving the environment.

Below we will consider the types of products that can be obtained from the processing of cullet glass.

List of recycled glass products

From glass waste, you can get a huge amount of various materials and products that are in demand on present stage development of industry, construction and other areas of human economic activity.

Below in short form we will consider some types of these products, on the production of which you can build your own highly profitable business.

1. . This type of heat insulator, produced in blocks and sheets, is in high demand among consumers. The production technology of this material is quite simple and relatively inexpensive. It is based on the foaming of molten glass, followed by cooling in special molds. Initial investments in the production of foam glass from cullet with mineral additives start at 3 million rubles.
2. . The most demanded heat-insulating material in the modern market of building products. In its manufacture, up to 80% of cullet can be used. Glass wool production technology is based on spraying glass melt in a centrifuge with a steam jet. A carpet is formed from glass fibers, which is cut into mats, sheets or rolled into rolls. Starting investments in the production of glass wool range from 4 million rubles.
3. . The material is intended for waterproofing various construction objects, sealing joints, improving the quality of concrete and other technological operations. In everyday life it is known as silicate glue. The process of obtaining liquid glass from cullet is based on grinding waste with alkali metal hydroxide in an autoclave. Read here about the production and applications of this material. The initial investment in the organization of a small production will amount to at least 2 million rubles.
4. Glass container. The secondary production of glass containers from broken glass is a complex technological process. In addition to melting furnaces and various equipment for charge preparation, it is necessary to purchase an automatic molding line with equipment. The amount of cullet in the feedstock can reach 100%. Read about the manufacture of glass containers from recycled materials in this article. To implement the project for the production of glass containers from waste, it is necessary to spend at least 100 million rubles.
5. . High quality and beautiful finishing material. Glass tiles are made from a mixture of finely crushed broken glass, dyes and special polyester resins, which is poured into molds to harden. The maximum amount required to open a small handicraft workshop for the production of cullet tiles is unlikely to exceed 500 thousand rubles. Investments in such a business are minimal, and you can get good profits. Here you will find more information about making glass tiles.
6. . It is used in the production of fiberglass, and other demanded materials. glass fiber is based on forcing the glass melt through special platinum dies, followed by cooling and winding an endless thread on the receiving drums. Up to 45% of broken glass can be used in the production of the product. A small enterprise for the production of fiberglass will cost at least 6 million rubles.

Production of all the above products from glass waste requires a large initial investment for the purchase of equipment, rental of premises, organization of the purchase of recyclable materials and other technological needs.

But there is also a simpler type of glass business - this is the opening of a collection point for the population and organizations of glass containers and broken glass.

Below we will consider the stages of creating such an enterprise and its profitability.

How to open a glass container collection point?

Opening a collection point for glass containers and breaking glass is the first step in mastering the business of recycling glass waste, of course, if you intend to develop your business to deep recycling of this secondary raw material with obtaining the final marketable product.

Otherwise, you can stop at the first stage - the collection and primary sorting of waste and get a good profit from the sale of bottles, cans and fight.

But for this it is necessary to open a collection point for glass recyclables and containers.

The procedure for opening such a business is quite simple and it is carried out according to the following scheme:

• initially, a business plan for opening a collection point is worked out in detail, with the definition of the optimal location, the possibilities for selling glass containers and cullet, as well as the approximate profitability of the enterprise;
• at the next stage, it is necessary to open an individual entrepreneur or LLC for this type of activity with the execution of all necessary documentation and registration with the territorial tax authorities;
• in the future, the premises for the reception point are rented and repaired in accordance with general requirements, the necessary equipment (boxes, containers, etc.) is purchased, and work can begin.

Economic activities for the reception of glass containers and broken glass not subject to licensing. It is only necessary to issue a permit to use the rented premises for this type of business in the SES and the fire inspectorate.

As mentioned above, only a small volume of bottles is currently reused.

Basically, all accepted glass containers are sold to large wholesalers at the price of cullet, with the exception of cans, which are purchased for subsequent recycling.

But even with such apparent insolvency of the business you can get a good profit of 30%, because bottles are purchased at a price of 50 k. to 1 p. a piece, and broken glass is sold at a price of up to 2.5 thousand rubles per ton!

Related videos

This video explains why glass is recycled and how it is done.

Conclusion

For the Russian Federation, the level of competition in the business of collecting and processing glass waste is extremely low, so if you open an enterprise only for the acceptance, crushing, sorting and sale of raw materials to interested manufacturers, up to 80% profitability can be achieved.

Glass recyclables can be purchased through a network of collection points, harvested at landfills and landfills, and also bought at glass factories for manufacturing defects at an affordable price.

You can increase the profitability of your own cullet processing business by expanding production to deep processing of glass into finished products. The list of such products, the most promising in terms of demand and price, we have given above.

Of course, full recycling of cullet into building materials and other products will require a large initial investment, but this approach to developing your own business will provide you with a constant and high income for a long time.

Increasingly popular among those who are looking for a profitable business idea is gaining a "clean" waste recycling business. And in addition to waste paper and PET containers, glass can also be recycled. Glass processing as a business, if you properly organize the process, from the acceptance of raw materials to the sale of products, can bring consistently high profits - regardless of the season. The basis of success is a well-written business plan. It will help plan future activities - expenses and profits. In addition, the project will help to obtain government subsidies or loans on more favorable terms.

Our business valuation:

Starting investments - from 300,000 rubles.

Market saturation is average.

The complexity of starting a business is 5/10.

It is quite possible to open a mini glass processing plant in Russia without large investments, the main thing is to know some of the nuances of this area.

The relevance of the planned business

A raw material processing facility is beneficial for several reasons. And the main one is all kinds of state support. Now in many regions there are state programs for issuing loans with lower interest rates, as well as loyal requirements for registration and taxation.

A glass recycling mini-shop is a good thing that helps to save the environment.

We also take into account the fact that glass recycling does not require large financial costs for raw materials - half of it goes to the entrepreneur completely free of charge.

Broken glass, whether cleaned or not, can be sold to many industries using glass as a raw material. It is actively used by manufacturing plants building materials, sanitary products, glass products. So - no problems with sales.

We do business right

Conducting an unregistered business is a major violation. The fact is that the industrial processing of glass waste, like any other secondary raw materials, requires a license from the Ministry of Ecology. This, as a rule, is issued for the entire period of operation of the workshop.

Practice shows that it can take up to six months to collect the necessary package of documents. Here you can go the easier way - if you have the funds, resort to the help of specialists at this stage.

What kind of space will be required?

Recycling broken glass will require a separate building. Most of the space will go to the organization of the warehouse, where the collected raw materials will be received. As for the production workshop itself, its area depends on the planned capacity of the enterprise, and, accordingly, the dimensions of the purchased equipment.

Glass recycling process

Glass processing technology may be different depending on what final product is planned to be produced. If we talk about business with minimal costs, then the best option is the production of refined cullet.

But the production of some final product within the walls of the workshop (the same bottles, for example) will require much more costs than the processing of cullet. Therefore, in the absence of large initial investments, it is better to start small. Over time, your plant can be modified by purchasing the necessary machines and apparatus.

If we talk about the production of broken glass, then the raw materials go through the following stages:

• sorting
• cleaning,
• drying
• splitting up,
• warehousing.

At a more modified enterprise, where it is planned to process waste to obtain high-quality glass raw materials, the cleaned cullet goes through several additional technological stages:

• Adding, according to the recipe, various fillers.
• Heating of raw materials in furnaces.

How to equip a glass processing workshop?

Which glass processing equipment to buy?

And in order for the workshop to work at full capacity, you will need to buy equipment for glass processing. Despite the novelty of the direction, the entrepreneur will have a fairly wide choice - from individual low-power machines to high-performance multifunctional lines.

The most affordable option for technological equipment is a line consisting of a section for cleaning and drying incoming containers, as well as a grinding section. When choosing machines, it is worth paying special attention to separation equipment, since it will depend on it how well the raw materials will ultimately be cleaned. The price of equipment for processing glass into glass chips (separator and crusher) is low - you can meet 300,000 rubles. That's just high performance from such a line should not be expected. The maximum that it will allow is the processing of raw materials at a speed of up to 100 kg / h.

With the increase in the power of the equipment, its price also increases.

Modern line for the processing of cullet with the receipt of raw materials High Quality, comprises:

• dryers,
• shredders,
• forms,
• ovens.

The cost of such equipment will be quite high - at least 1,500,000 rubles. But the finished product on the market will cost more.

How much can you earn from glass recycling?

A glass waste recycling business can bring a decent income to its owner. But here it is important to establish uninterrupted supplies of raw materials.

How can I receive broken glass?

• Buying from the public.
• Installation on the streets of special containers.
• Collection of waste from factories and shops.

The cullet collection point, as well as the installation of containers, will require additional expenses from the entrepreneur - wages for workers, purchase of components. But these expenses are necessary so that the equipment does not stand idle.

You should be prepared for the fact that you will have to spend money on organizing your own car fleet, since permanent car rental from a third-party organization is not at all profitable.

Taking into account how much the machine costs for the preparation and processing of waste, as well as how much it will cost to organize at least several points for the collection of used equipment and organize your own fleet, it will take at least 700,000 rubles to launch a small workshop. You can reduce the initial investment to literally 300,000 rubles by purchasing supported equipment or refusing to purchase trucks.

The average price of a ton of cullet is 1500-2500 rubles/t. And knowing the exact pricing policy of the organization that purchases cullet, taking into account the capacity of its workshop, you can calculate the profit.

A family of several people, along with juices, drinks and pickles, purchases about 10 units of glass containers every month. And if jars are considered a necessary thing in the household, then most bottles are most often sent to trash can. But recycling glass allows you to make a lot of new useful things out of waste.

Jars and bottles can be used indefinitely, because glass is a 100% recyclable material. In our country, the mechanism for collecting used containers is debugged in almost all settlements, but most ordinary citizens still send it to the landfill. Wouldn't it be better to be conscious and give the glass for further processing? Moreover, such disposal, although it costs money, prevents the appearance of many tons of garbage.

Features of waste processing in Russia

Glass processing in Russia is on the rise. According to research data, the annual collection of such waste is about 3.5 million tons. The collected container is used in two ways:

Whole jars and bottles are washed, disinfected and reused;
- non-standard is broken and sent for further processing.

Even 5 years ago, 97% of all collected containers in Russia were reused and only 3% were cullet. But since 2012, the technical regulation has banned the recycling of all glass packaging that has come into contact with baby food, which has significantly increased the share of such waste in the total mass of collected containers.

Recycling of broken glass is carried out in several stages:

Automatic sorting and grinding of recyclables;
- removal of metal inclusions (plugs, caps) with a magnet;
- adding raw materials (sand, soda and limestone) to glass chips to improve the properties of the finished product;
- glass melting in a special furnace at a temperature of 1200–1500°C. It should be noted that broken glass melts at a lower temperature than the original raw material, which significantly reduces the amount of energy costs;
- molding of new products;
- annealing finished cans and bottles to increase the strength of the package;
- visual and technical quality control of glass containers.

It should be noted that in Russia the recycling process is not limited to the production of new bottles and cans. In our country, decorative and heat-resistant dishes, as well as ceramic sanitary ware, water filters, construction, insulating, abrasive and other materials are produced from recycled materials.

What are the benefits of recycling used glass bottles?

Everyone knows that the continued use of garbage is good. But let's move away from general formulations and consider the specific benefits of recycling glass waste.

• Preservation of the environment. Glass production requires sand, which is mined in quarries. To do this, huge holes are dug on the surface of the earth, and sometimes forest plantations are cut down to clear the working site. After developing one quarry, people begin to destroy nature in another place. Many of us at the sight of cut down trees and abandoned quarries feel regret, but ... continue to throw bottles in the trash can.
• Conservation of natural resources. The main components of glass are sand, limestone and soda ash. On the this moment people do not lack these raw materials, but everything has an end. If speak about concrete figures, then one ton of recycled glass saves at least 500 kg of sand, 200 kg of limestone and 150 kg of soda.
• Conservation of energy resources. Primary glass production itself is associated with high energy costs. But in addition to this, energy is spent on mining and recycling of already used containers. Scientists have calculated that just 2 recycled bottles release enough energy to boil 1 kettle of water.
• Reducing the area of ​​solid waste landfills. The time of glass decomposition is about 1000 years, that is, each existing landfill will be inherited by another 12-15 generations of people. But this is half the problem, because after filling and closing some landfills, more and more new landfills have to be opened. Meanwhile, glass recycling significantly reduces waste and saves about 10,000 hectares of land annually.

Problems of glass container recycling

Most Russian citizens are in no hurry to hand over cans and bottles. Some consider this occupation shameful, because most often they are rented out by vagrants and the poor. Others do not even think about the problem of environmental pollution and throw away the bottles along with other household waste.

Be conscious and at least organize separate waste collection in your home, because glass is a fairly profitable resource: for one standard bottle at the collection point you will receive about two rubles, for a non-standard product - from 20 to 80 kopecks. Let you not get rich, but make your contribution to the preservation of the main wealth - pristine nature!