"Glass packaging is a fully sustainable resource" said a leading EU trade body as it announced more than 25 billion jars & bottles weighing over 11 million tonnes had been recycled in 2008. FEVE, the EU association for container glass, declared that glass was the most eco-friendly packing material as it released figures showing that the 25.5 billion containers collected for recycling in 2009 represented "An average recycling rate of 65% for the EU27 countries." The haul represents almost 11.5 million tonnes of glass collected throughout the body's European membership, including Turkey, Switzerland & Norway. The group said glass was best for the environment. It added glass recycling preserves natural resources, with every one tonne of recycled glass saving 1.2 tonnes of natural raw materials. Recycling glass also saves energy. Each 10% of recycled glass added in the production cycle results in a saving of around 3%. Dominique Tombeur, president of FEVE, said: "This data confirms the clear positive trend over the last year when, thanks to the collaboration of citizens, a number of EU countries have reached the ambitious 60% collection target fixed by the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive."
