Never too Young to Recycle!

By - Virginia Diehl

Macomb Woman’s Club has brought glass-only recycling to McDonough County. Many townships and organizations are supporting this effort. A purple recycling bin for glass is located in the Farm King parking lot at 1620 East Jackson St. in Macomb. Every time the bin is full, it is emptied by Waste Management into a concrete storage bunker, the space for which has been provided by the City of Macomb. When the bunker is full, the glass is hauled to a plant in Chicago by Ripple Glass to be repurposed into new glass, fiberglass insulation, and more. First emptied in September, the purple bin holds about six tons of glass, which translates to about 24,000 bottles and jars, and these translate to a savings of 2.4 million watts of energy.

People wonder why glass-only recycling is better than “comingled”. Broken glass contaminates other recyclables in a comingled system, so everything is put in the landfill. In a comingled system (like in Macomb), 40% of the glass ends up being recycled. With glass-only recycling, there is a 98% recovery rate. Glass-only recycling diverts waste from the landfill. As an example, in the first year a “glass-only” recycling option was available, the city of Quincy, IL recycled 200 tons of glass, saving $7,200 in landfill costs. We hope that bars and restaurants (in addition to individuals) in the county will bring their glass to the bin.

Many types of glass can be recycled including glass food and beverage containers (all colors, no sorting required, labels can stay on); pint and wine glasses; mason jars; candle jars (leftover wax is okay); cosmetic bottles and jars; and window glass, shower door glass, and glass table tops (with frames removed). Boxes and bags are not allowed.

Join the fun and give glass a second life!