No Market for Glass?

Recyclable glass containers. (source: Montana Dept. of Env. Quality, deq.mt.gov

A recent news article announcing that our neighboring town, Hooksett, is no longer accepting glass for recycling left me puzzled. Glass - which is 100% recyclable and for me is the preferred packaging material for public health as well as environmental reasons. Further, with an increasing public awareness of the huge plastic pollution problem in our oceans, it would seem that glass would be a commodity increasing in demand. According to the Glass Packaging Institute, (GPI) glass "can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity." Their website also contains some interesting facts

• Recycled glass containers are always needed because glass manufacturers require high-quality recycled container glass to meet market demands for new glass containers.
•  Recycled glass is always part of the recipe for glass, and the more that is used, the greater the decrease in energy used in the furnace. This makes using recycled glass profitable in the long run, lowering costs for glass container manufacturers—and benefiting the environment.

According to the Town of Hooksett, their decision to no longer accept glass for recycling is that   "Glass has always been hard to find markets for but with local glass disposal sites closing down we have no markets at all." How can this be? It all comes down to economics. The way that most communities in the state are collecting recyclables is through single stream, where plastic, cans, paper and glass are all mixed together. Although this gets recycling rates up, the value of those materials is diminished. For glass, it needs to be clean, a certain size, and separated by color to be used in the manufacturing of new glass bottles. When recyclable waste streams are mixed together, chances of contamination are higher and the end use of the materials becomes limited. Apparently a bottle manufacturing plant in Massachusetts recently closed down which has further reduced the market for recycled glass in New England. According to the Concord Monitor one of the reasons for the plant's closure was the increase in the craft beer market and the subsequent decline in the sales of national beer brands. This I don't understand; don't craft beer makers need bottles as well?

In any event the economics are complicated, but tossing recyclable materials into the trash is short-sighted. According to the GPI, Over a ton of natural resources are saved for every ton of glass recycled and one ton of carbon dioxide is reduced for every six tons of recycled container glass used in the manufacturing process. According to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, recycling one glass jar saves enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes. There are clearly environmental reasons to use and recycle glass. What can we do? New Hampshire is a state that does not have a beverage container redemption program. States with container deposits and redemption programs recycle glass containers at a 39% higher rate than states without such programs. It reduces roadside litter and provides jobs, a win win. However, numerous attempts to adopt legislation in the "Live Free or Die State" have failed, but if such a bill did pass it would reduce the economic burden currently being placed on municipalities which are forced to make decisions based solely on local budgets.

As I have posted previously, the use and disposal of plastic exposes people and wildlife to toxic chemicals and plastic debris is causing havoc to our oceans. Glass may be heavier, subject to breakage, but most won't dispute that food and beverages taste better when stored in glass. Further, it is a known fact that hormone disrupting chemicals can leach from plastic containers. We need to remember that consumer demand can and should direct manufacturing. All types of waste needs to be reduced and recycling is one mechanism to do this. Make known to your town that you want comprehensive recycling options available in your community. If your town stops the curbside collection of glass, please encourage them to offer, at a minimum, a drop off location that is convenient for its residents. Tossing more waste in the trash to be incinerated or landfilled is not an environmentally responsible solution for our generation or the future of the planet. Saving a few dollars today only postpones additional costs to some time in the future.