DB Export introduced a machine which crushes beer bottles into sand. The Beer Bottle Sand project aims to keep recyclable glass out of landfill and sand on New Zealand’s beaches.
Sand is used in everything from construction to pharmaceuticals; a major ingredient of mortar, plaster, concrete, and asphalt, businesses often collect beach sand in bulk. As a result, according to DB, two-thirds of the world’s beaches are retreating.
DB Breweries has built several machines able to take empty bottles and turn them into substitute sand. All a drinker needs to do is deposit his or her bottle in the machine, a laser triggers a wheel of small steel hammers spinning at 2800rpm. As the bottle is pulverized a vacuum system removes silica dust and plastic labels, leaving behind 200 grams of sand substitute. The brewery is in the process of finalizing a two year deal to supply DB Export Beer Bottle Sand to Drymix – New Zealand’s biggest producer of bagged concrete. Beer Bottle Sand will also be supplied to national roading projects, commercial and residential construction, right through to golf bunkers.
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Says Sean O’Donnell, Marketing Director at DB Breweries: “We can’t solve the problem alone but we knew we could do more to help. Our ambition is to help drive more recycling whilst looking out for the beaches which are an integral part of our Kiwi DNA. We’re proud to launch an initiative that can help us do our bit to protect our beaches for future generations.”
“Our sand will be processed through a screener which sorts it into a fine grades between 1.1 – 0.4mm particle sizes,”
This recycling program follows 2015’s successful “Brewtoleum” campaign, in which DB turned leftover yeast from the brewing process into clean-burning, conflict-free biofuel.
