Current Trends in Glass Recycling

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Current Trends in Glass Recycling
Sage Park Sustainability Specialist/Solid Waste
Planner Department of Ecology, Central Regional
Office 509-454-7863 sueb461_at_ecy.wa.gov
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Glass Recycling Facts

• Americans generated 12.5 million tons of glass in
  the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream in 2003.
• About 22 percent of the 10.9 million tons of
  container glass was recovered for recycling.
• Recovery increased from 750,000 tons in 1980 to
  more than 2.4 million tons in 2001.
• Soft drink, beer, food, wine, and liquor
  containers represent the largest source of glass
  generated and recovered for recycling.

- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
http//www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/glass.ht
m, May 17, 2005
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Glass Recycling is Declining

• In 2000, the U.S. EPA estimated that the the
  beverage glass recycling rate was 25.
• Theres an increasing trend in landfilling glass,
  either by throwing it away or using it as daily
  cover.

Jenny Gitlitz, Are bottle bills still relevant,
Resource Recycling, September 2004
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Washington State Glass Recycling 1986 - 2003
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Why the decline?

• Increased away-from-home consumption
• Stagnant scrap prices
• Decreased emphasis on recycling by government and
  the media
• Increase in use of PETE as a beverage container

- Jenny Gitlitz, Are bottle bills still relevant,
Resource Recycling, September 2004
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Glass Collection Issues

• Curbside Collection
• Drop Box
• Weight of glass
• Distance to markets
• Market price of glass

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Commodity Prices

• Post Consumer Glass is 6.00/ton
• Cardboard is 45.00/ton
• Newspaper is 34.00/ton
• Baled aluminum cans is 0.65/lb.

Recycling Manager, http//grn.com/grn/prices/rm-pr
ices.htm, October 26, 2005
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Types of Glass Recycling

• Closed Loop
• Glass to Glass
• Open Loop
• Glass to aggregate

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End Uses of Pulverized Glass

• Roadbed material
• Filter sand for septic systems/pools
• Playground sand
• Sidewalk/driveway additive
• Backfill
• Drainage medium
• Landscape material
• Paint additive
• Hybridized cement
• Aggregate in stucco finishes
• Flux in ceramic tiles
• Sand blasting material
• Glass products such as fiberglass, marbles , and
  glass beads
• Lawn ornaments, stepping stones, and retaining
  wall blocks
• - Glass Recycling In Montana, Montana Public
  Interest Research Group, May 2004

Picture provided by University of New Hampshire
Technology Transfer Center
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Benefits of Using Glass Locally

• Replaces resources which require excavation
• Reduces energy demand from extracting and
  transporting raw material for construction
  projects
• Reduces air and water pollution associated with
  excavating raw materials
• Conserves energy used in transporting glass to
  market
• Reduces glass waste entering the landfill

- Reusing and Recycling Glass in Manitoba,
Manitoba Product Stewardship Council 2000
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Costs of Using Glass Locally

• Does not reduce resources and energy in
  manufacturing new glass containers
• Energy required to crush the glass for local use
• Energy, equipment and labor resources to blend
  aggregate with other aggregate for some
  application

- Reusing and Recycling Glass in Manitoba,
Manitoba Product Stewardship Council 2000
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Whats a Community to Do?

• Communities are working together to divert glass
  from landfills using innovative solutions.

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What communities you ask ?

• Manitoba, Canada City of Winnipeg and Town of
  Pilot Mound and Village of Crystal City
• Lewis and Clark County, Montana
• Twisp, Washington
• (and later in the day Stevens County
• and Whitman County)
• St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, Oregon

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Where is Manitoba?
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Local Glass Use in Manitoba Communities

• City of Winnipeg
• Glass used at the Brady Road landfill site as a
  road base
• Use heavy equipment to crush glass onsite, then
  cover it with gravel
• Town of Pilot Mound and Village of Crystal City
• Glass is collected through community recycling
  programs and then crushed into coarse sand using
  a glass crusher
• The crushed glass is used around town for
  landscaping
• Golf course uses it on paths and around the base
  of trees
• Keeps dust down on pathways better as compared to
  gravel

- Reusing and Recycling Glass in Manitoba,
Manitoba Product Stewardship Council 2000
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Local Glass Use in Montana

• Lewis and Clark County
• Has had a glass recycling program for
  approximately 10 years
• Glass collected by Headwaters Recycling
  Cooperative and through the City of Helena
  Transfer station
• Glass collected by Headwaters is sold to Ash
  Grove Cement and Holcim Cement
• Glass collected at the transfer station is used
  by Ash Grove Cement Company as 2.5 of the silica
  content for the cement produced.
• Ash Grove uses 250 tons of glass per year
• Last fiscal year, there was a stockpile of 400
  tons because Holcim cut back on the amount of
  glass theyre accepting

- Glass Recycling in Montana, Montana Public
Interest Research Group, May 2004
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Local Glass Use in Washington State

• Methow Recycles Twisp, WA
• Purchased a glass crusher in 2002 and installed
  it in 2003
• Since installation they have invested an
  additional
• 840 in improvements
• spent 3,966 on repairs
• 5,281 on payroll related to the glass machine
• Charge 10.00/ton of sand - revenues from the
  sand for the same period were 757.50.
• Machine is currently down due to additional
  problems
• Each apple bin full of glass costs 15.00 to
  process
• Currently are not collecting glass

Methow Recycles, http//www.methowrecycles.org/ind
ex.php
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Aurora Glass

• Operated by St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County,
  Oregon
• Recycle old windows and other waste glass
  previously without a recycling avenue
• All profits from Aurora are returned to the
  community in the form of assistance for homeless
  and low-income people through emergency services,
  housing, jobs, training, and other charitable
  endeavors.

http//www.auroraglass.org
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Suggestions for Creating a Glass to Aggregate
Program in Your Area

• Have an end use!!!!
• Be creative
• Find Partners
• Proper Equipment is Essential
• Know the cost (both monetary and environmental)
  of the project before you get started
• Have a plan to maintain the program