A GLASS making facility is to benefit from multi-million-pound investment - and 18 permanent jobs.

Insulation manufacturer Knauf Insulation has entered into a long-term contract with Veolia, which will see £10 million invested in a glass cullet processing facility, next to its Stafford Road manufacturing plant.

The facility will be operated by Veolia and is expected to be complete by the end of 2017.

Veolia will clean, dry and refine tens of thousands of tonnes of crushed glass ‘cullet’ - made of items such as empty glass bottles and jam jars - which will be melted and spun into the glass mineral wool products Knauf sells as insulation to housebuilders and building firms.

Estelle Brachlianoff, senior executive vice-president at Veolia UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be investing in the local economy and providing a closed loop solution for glass packaging from our Material Recovery Facilities including two we operate for Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority and the Merseyside and Halton District Councils.

“This will help save raw materials, lessen energy demand, cut CO2 emissions and reduce the amount of materials going to landfill.

"This facility will be the first of its kind in the UK and means everything from glass bottles to jam jars will be transformed into energy saving insulation products for houses, offices and other buildings.”

John Sinfield, managing irector at Knauf Insulation Northern Europe, said: “The construction of the new facility will help grow the St Helens economy by creating permanent jobs and using local firms to complete its construction.

“Working with Veolia on this investment perfectly aligns with our goals for improving the efficiency and sustainability of our processes.

"And, given recent building product shortages impacting the construction sector, the announcement also highlights our commitment to proactively working to safeguard our supply.”

The process of using glass cullet uses less energy than traditional methods of manufacturing mineral wool insulation, with the associated energy-saving generated from recycling a single glass bottle equal to powering a 100-watt light bulb for almost an hour.