FEVE, the European Federation representing glass container manufacturers, is pressing the EU to delay until 2015 a deadline for the reduction of heavy metals including lead in glass to 100/ppm. The original deadline was June 30, 2006. Glassmakers believe such a deadline would make it almost impossible to recycle glass. Andrew Somogyi, FEVE secretary-general says extending the deadline would have little or no environmental impact. Under EU waste electrical and electronic equipment legislation, lead in a glass matrix is except from bans on hazardous substances. The predominant closed loop of glass recycling means EU container glass will continue to exceed the limit, although producers are trying to minimise lead content; no commercially viable process for lead removal from glass has yet been introduced.
