Mark your calendars because Allegheny County just announced that it’s partnering with the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) for a second year to offer its Traveling Glass Recycling Bin Program in county parks.
Beginning on Saturday, April 2, the bin will be located in each park for six days, Saturday through Thursday, from 7 a.m. to sundown to allow residents a resource to recycle glass.
County officials said in a press release that glass recycling continues to be of interest to county residents especially considering there are fewer curbside options available. Here’s an excerpt:
“We know that glass bottles and jars are 100 percent recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without losing any quality, making the effort to put these items back into the recycling ecosystem even more important. Thank you to PRC and our county Parks Department for making this a priority for our communities.”
Little background on the initiative: The Traveling Glass Recycling Bin Program provides a free recycling option using a bin that rotates through locations in western Pennsylvania. Last year at county park events, residents recycled 10.2 tons (20,490 lbs) of glass which reduces CO2 emissions by 0.29 tons.
Here’s some more need-to-know info:
Individuals can drop off glass bottles, jars, and jugs of all colors
No color sorting is required
Containers should be empty and rinsed, with lids and labels still on
Bags and boxes used to deliver glass must be discarded off-site
The program is sponsored by Owens-Illinois, Inc. and CAP Glass and is made possible through a partnership with Michael Brothers Hauling & Recycling. The collection sites at the county parks are made possible through a partnership with the county’s Parks Department and its Sustainability Office.
GASP thanks county leaders for bringing back the program for a second year and encourages residents to take advantage of it.
“There are so many reasons to get your glass recyclables to a county park during the collection periods,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “Glass recycling takes less energy to produce and research shows that it reduces related air pollution by as much as 20 percent and water pollution by half. This is an easy way to take concrete earth-friendly action.”