Posted on June 22, 2023
Did you know that glass takes one million years to fully decompose in a landfill? The good news, though, is that it can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality instead.
That’s why we offer a few different recycling options to make glass disposal easier than opening the lid off a pickle jar!
Option 1: Toss it in Your Curb It! Cart
Once you’ve cleared out your favorite jar of salsa and emptied those beer bottles, they can be easily recycled in your Curb It! cart. Curbside recycling accepts glass jars or bottles you’d typically have after cooking or drinking, like clear pasta sauce and pesto jars or colored wine bottles. Labels can stay on, but if your glass jar or bottle has a lid or bottle cap, remove it from the container and recycle both items separately in your Curb It! cart.
Glass not accepted in curbside recycling includes treated glass like mirrors, window glass, dinnerware, drinkware, and ceramics. These items are different than normal glass as they are often treated with chemicals to make them more durable.
Option 2: Take it to a Glass Drop-Off
While jars and bottles are accepted in your Curb It! cart, glass that is kept separate from other recyclables has many more recycling possibilities. To encourage glass-only recycling, we have free glass drop-offs around the metro!
Glass recycled in the drop-offs is collected and taken to Metro Recycling Facility. It’s sold and made into cool things like fiberglass insulation, countertops, and brand-new glass containers.
Glass drop-offs accept the same food and beverage jars and bottles that can be placed in your cart at home, and additional containers such as empty mason or candle jars. When visiting a drop-off, ensure your glass is placed inside the recycling container, since glass on the ground can become a safety hazard.
Option 3: Receive Your Refund at a Redemption Center
Some glass costs a $0.05 deposit when purchasing, such as glass beer bottles and wine bottles. When empty, these glass bottles can be taken to one of our redemption centers to receive your $0.05 refund!
Glass bottles taken to a Metro Waste Authority redemption center are sorted, bagged, and hauled away to be returned to the corresponding distributor so that they can recycle the glass into new bottles. Simply package the bottles in their original container/box, drop it off, and receive your deposit.
Next time you are tempted to trash that beer bottle or pickle jar, think again! You can help ensure it’s recycled over and over instead of sitting in a landfill forever.
We want to help you be a recycling expert. If you’re wondering where your glass should go, visit our recycling guide, or give us a call at 515.244.0021.