Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

North Walsham-based Ladbrook Engineering has been working with a London company to develop a machine capable of reducing the amount of space required for empty bottles by 80 per cent - encouraging pubs, bars and hotels across the capital to think 'green' and recycle the mountains of glass bottles consumed by the industry each year.

Ladbrook estimates the con tract - the company's first foray into 'electro-mechanical' engineering - to be worth £100k during 2008, with the potential to double and maybe triple in following years.

Working with recycling firm, Smash and Grab, Ladbrook has ramped up its operation and plans to produce 50 of the 'Smashers' per month, with the aim of reducing the estimated 90 per cent of glass which is currently not recycled in the City's hospitality trade.

Each Smasher can handle 15-20 beer and wine bottles simultaneously, safely smashing the glass into one fifth of its volume in six seconds and saving valuable space - an attractive proposition for licenced premises operators nationwide.

When the unit is full of glass, Smash and Grab attends the premises and takes away the contents for recycling.

"The reason Smash and Grab is growing so fast is that we finally offer this industry a route to recycling," said MD, Geoffrey Galitzine. "We have grown to the point were we are collecting 1000 tons of glass a year and are still growing."

With its operation in London just a starting point, Smash and Grab says that it already has partners installing machines in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland in significant numbers.

Ladbrook has recently ex panded its capabilities, making a major investment in new manufacturing machinery, and is aiming at overall growth of 25 per cent during the next few years; the Smashers deal is just the start.

"The Little Smasher is one of several major projects that we've undertaken," said Ladbrook CEO, Mike Blowers. "We've also had the confidence to make a major investment in new manufacturing technology and take on new staff."

The partnership also has a new 'intelligent' version of the Smasher being developed by Ladbrook and due out early next year, which can inform when the unit is full and needs emptying.