The plant, which is operational and located on rented land opposite Plantation, is run by Antilles Recyclage, which obtained the contract on the recommendation of French company Eco-Emballages, a leader in the national packaging/waste disposal market.
Interested officials attending the presentation included Director of Technical Services and Environment Max Ogoundélé, vice-president of the Environmental Commission Pierre Aliotti, the Communes General Services Manager Albert Brookson, and Mayor of St. Barths Bruno Magras.
St. Barths is also making use of the glass recycling service. Previously St. Barths was shipping out glass to Bordeaux and is already collecting steel and aluminium for recycling in accordance with its own contract with Eco-Emballages.
The specially adapted glass pulveriser turns glass into rounded materials using trommel screens to size the material to what is needed and at the same time eliminates foreign objects, such as corks, bottle caps, lids, straws etc, from the process.
The 120,000-euro machine consists of a loader, a conveyor and a pulveriser, and has a capacity of processing two tonnes an hour. The glass product is then turned into sand and gravel for use on the island. The sand, for example, is ideally suited as bedding for pipes.
Glass recycling plant inaugurated Tuesday
St. Martins first glass recycling plant was shown to environmental officials and journalists during a press conference at the Plantation tourist attraction in Mont Vernon, French Cul-de-Sac, yesterday.