Danish glass recycling to benefit district heating scheme

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Ardagh Group’s glassworks in Holmegaard, Denmark has started supplying heat to over 1,000 nearby homes.

It produces 160,000 tonnes of container glass each year to produce nearly 700 million bottles and jars primarily for the beer, spirit, wine, non-alcoholic beverage and food sectors.

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Although it has managed to reduce its energy use by using more recycled cullet, the glassworks is still producing a lot of heat that was previously discharged through the chimney.

In partnership with Danish energy company SE Big Blue, surplus heat from production is piped from the factory to a storage tank able to store 100MWh of heat – equivalent to two days production. From there it is piped into the local district heating network to almost 1,000 local homes.

Ardagh Glass Holmegaard plant director Henrik Bonné said: “The district will receive a secure supply of cheaper energy from one of its largest employers, a case of neighbour helping neighbour. It is good for the environment, as against traditional gas boiler heating process, it saves at least 3,300 tonnes of CO2 a year, the equivalent of taking 400 cars off the road.

“In addition, the money we earn from the 18,000MWh we sell, helps to offset the cost of our investment.”