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SMA “It is possible to increase the quantity of glass

recycled by at least 50%.”

With the recycling of the equivalent of 4.5 million bottles, sorting glass in Monaco represents
nearly 1,000 tonnes of CO avoided! However, according to Marie Berard, Assistant Manager
2
of the Monégasque Sanitation Company (SMA)’s Environmental Cleanliness Department, it
is possible to increase this volume.

Is glass 100% recyclable? Thanks to sorting, the equivalent of 4.5 individuals and companies. This is the reason
Indeed it is and, unlike other materials such million bottles have been recycled in Monaco. we created a Mag du Tri (recycling magazine),
as plastic, cardboard, aluminium and so on, How has this helped to prevent pollution? dedicated to glass. It can be consulted
there is no wastage in the recycling process, In 2019, the sorting of glass enabled the on the SMA’s website, www.sma.mc in the
even after several cycles – a bottle can be recycling of the equivalent of 4.5 million Documents section.
fully recycled indefinitely. It is all the more bottles, representing nearly 1,000 tons of
important to recycle glass as it does not burn CO² and the extraction of 1,500 tons of Could we do better? How much glass is
when mixed with non-recyclable waste treated raw materials (mostly sand and limestone) thrown into the wrong bins?
at the energy recovery plant. avoided. It is difficult to measure and depends on the
time of year. For example, we notice that
Where and how are things thrown in the green Are businesses and households in Monaco during the end-of-year festive season, there
bin treated in Monaco? good students when it comes to recycling? is still too much glass found in the bins for
All the glass – provided it is thrown into the Glass recycling performance in the Principality non-recyclable waste. According to the
glass recycling bins – is transported to Italy is very good and the habit of sorting it seems aforementioned study, it would be possible
to the Ecolvetro recycling centre near Savona. now to have been adopted by a large part of to increase by at least 50% the quantity of
There, it will be stripped of any impurities the population. Nevertheless, a study carried glass recycled.
(labels, metal parts, corks and so on), sorted out three years ago on the composition of the
and ground up, thus becoming a new material, waste in the grey bins showed that there was How much has Cliiink boosted recycling?
cullet. It is cullet that is used by glass-makers still glass that was not being properly recycled. After its first two years of use, we have noticed
for the manufacture of new bottles and jars, Therefore, there is room for improvement that Cliiink is mainly used by those who were
some of which are, almost certainly, to be and we need to continue information and already recycling before it was put in place.
found in shops in the Principality. awareness campaigns aimed at families, The launch of Cliiink was simultaneous with
the start of the seven-days-a-week glass
collection from cafés, hotels and restaurants.
So Cliiink has had a rather marginal effect on
recycling habits – but it enables us to reward
good recyclers.

Some people don’t recycle through fear of
getting it wrong. For example, do you need
to wash glass bottles before putting them
in the green bins?
People must remember that only glass
BAC VERT / GREEN BIN (bottles, jars, perfume bottles and so on) can
be recycled so they should not throw crockery,
porcelain or ceramic items in these bins:
these materials do not have the same melting
temperature as glass and can interfere with
the glass recycling; and, finally, there’s no need
to wash glass containers – just empty them
well and remove corks and lids.
BAC VERT BORNE ENTERRÉE BORNE AÉRIENNE
GREEN BIN UNDERGROUND CONTAINER OVERGROUND CONTAINER

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