Fears of a slow start for glass packaging recycling in 2016 have been alleviated, following publication of the final first quarter figures last month. 

The data from the Environment Agency shows how much packaging waste was recycled or exported between January and March this year – and gives an indication of the overall obligation producers will need to meet by the end of 2016.

Final figures for the first quarter of 2016 report a further 30,000 tonnes of glass packaging recycled.  They show that 377,044 tonnes of glass packaging was actually recycled across the three months – over 30,000 tonnes more than was previously thought.

Provisional quarterly figures released last month identified glass packaging as a potential ‘problem’ material – with a combined 343,850 tonnes of glass remelt and aggregate recycled. This is just 22% of the estimated annual requirement of 1,512,119 tonnes. This latest data boosted that percentage to around 25% of the overall glass obligation – meaning that glass is largely on course to meet the end of year target.

Changes to final packaging figures are not uncommon. As more producers become registered throughout the year, tonnages previously unknown to the Environment Agency are made available for analysis.  Elsewhere, the amount of paper packaging recycled in Q1 rose by an estimated 50,000 tonnes, while plastics also grew incrementally by around 500,000 tonnes. In total, the amount of packaging recycled across the quarter rose by 85,000 tonnes.