Brazil: Heineken installs its first glass recycling centre in Brazil

With an initial investment of R$ 8 million, the facility, already installed in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, in Greater Recife, will be responsible for processing thousands of tons of glass annually.

The global brewer recently invested R$ 1.2 billion in its brewery in Igarassu, in the Recife Metropolitan Region.

Heineken’s Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs, Mauro Homem, said Pernambuco was chosen because of the competence and openness that the entire state government team demonstrated to Heineken.

The company’s goal is to collect glass from all possible areas to increase the material’s collection nationwide.

“We only recycle 20% of all glass in Brazil, so 75% is still available to be recycled. We would like to collect glass wherever it may be—in condominiums, public buildings, large generators, in commerce. Not only in Pernambuco, but also in other states,” he said.

The facility will focus on providing proper treatment for post-consumer packaging glass. In partnership with Ambipar, the company will also sell the material to the glass industry, creating a circularity cycle and generating income.

The companies anticipate that the investment in the glass processing system will generate 60 direct and indirect jobs, as well as integrate 10 recycling cooperatives from Recife, benefiting 300 waste pickers.